Book Title: World of Philosophy
Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan
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food, drinks, cosmatics, rich clothes and jewellary, beeds, chairs, vehicles and so on. 7. Atithisamvibhāga :
Offering alms to ascetics must be undertaken with care to follow the strict prescriptions of the script was. The ascetics should be offered suitable food and drink with devotion and humility benefiting the custom and etiquette of the place and occasion. A householder should offer food, religious equipments, medicine and shelter to monks.
When the householder, practitioner of the small vows perceives clear sign of approaching death or feels his uetter incapability to fulfill his religious vows, then he/she should shant reducing his diet, then fasts regularly for progressively longer periods, adopts the observance of the ascetic's self restraint and finally gives up all food and drink to fast to death while engaged in reflection and meditations. This is called Samadhimarana.
The second stage of life, in Jain tradition is the life of a mendicant. As is said before, Jain tradition gives more importance to the second one unlike the Vedic tradition. It says, if one wants to attain emancipation, one aught to renounce the world so as to observe the code of conduct in full leading to the ultimate goal. There are five great vows laid down in scriptures to observe for literation. They are as follows :
1. Abstinence from violence (ahimsā) 2. Abstinence from falsehood (Satya) 3. Abstinence from stealing (asteya) 4. Abstinence from carnality (brahmacarya)
5. Abstinence from possessiveness (aparigraha).
Taking life away out of passion is voilance. A monk must obtain not only from such kiling in actual sense but also from the passion of such killings. passion of any act is more important that the act itself. Because even if one does not kill any creature, but has the strong passion to do so, one is volnerable to influx of karmas.
Speaking untruthfully out of passion and preaching false doctrines are both falsehood. But even speaking out truthfully is despicable when it leads to violance. Harsh words and back biting, no matter they are true of false are worthy of blame. A monk is supposed to obstain from
it.
To take anything, even a blade of grass, without permission of the
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