In Jainism

General definition (in Jainism)

Source: archive.org: Jaina Yoga

Abrahmavarjanapratimā (अब्रह्मवर्जनप्रतिमा) refers to “the stage of absolute continence” and represents the sixth of eleven pratimās (stages of spiritual progress) according to Śvetāmbara. In Digambara, the sixth pratimā is known as rātri-bhakti and in Āvaśyakacūrṇi as sacitta-tyāga.—In this pratimā according to the Pañcāśaka the layman is to avoid not only all physical contact with a woman, but he is never to allow himself to be alone with a woman, nor to engage in conversation about women; and he must also avoid any care for his personal appearance or for the clothes and ornaments he wears.

The Digambaras take the opportunity here to stress the value of meditation on the impurity of the human body (the literature is very rich in verses on this theme) and the inborn wickedness of women, as an aid to carrying out this pratimā, in which of course are also comprised the cessation of all sexual activity and the extinction of all desire.

The word pratimā means a statue and is used in another specifcally Jaina sense to designate the kāyotsara. The medieval ācāryas, however, quite plainly conceive of the pratimās (e.g., abrahma-varjana-pratimā) as performing a regular progressing series in Amitagati’s words, a sopāna-mārga, a ladder on each rung of which the aspirant layman is to rest for a number of months proportionate to its place on the list before he is fit to supplement and reinforce his acheivement by the practice of the succeeding stage.

context information

Jainism is an Indian religion of Dharma whose doctrine revolves around harmlessness (ahimsa) towards every living being. The two major branches (Digambara and Svetambara) of Jainism stimulate self-control (or, shramana, ‘self-reliance’) and spiritual development through a path of peace for the soul to progess to the ultimate goal.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Varjana, Abrahma, Pratima.

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