In Jainism

General definition (in Jainism)

Source: Wisdom Library: Jainism

Ārambhatyāgapratimā (आरम्भत्यागप्रतिमा) or simply Ārambhatyāga represents the eighth of eleven pratimā (stages) laid down for Jain laymen. Ārambhatyāgapratimā refers to “abandonment of merely worldly engagements and occupations” according to J. L. Jaini in his “outlines of Jainism” (pp. 67-70).

These pratimās (e.g., ārambhatyāga-pratimā) form a series of duties and performances, the standard and duration of which rises periodically and which finally culminates in an attitude resembling monkhood. Thus the pratimās rise by degrees and every stage includes all the virtues practised in those preceeding it. The conception of eleven pratimās appears to be the best way of exhibiting the rules of conduct prescribved for the Jaina laymen.

Source: archive.org: Jaina Yoga

Ārambhatyāgapratimā (आरम्भत्यागप्रतिमा) refers to “the stage of abandonment of activity ” and represents the eighth of eleven pratimās (stages of spiritual progress) according to both Śvetāmbara and Digambara. In Āvaśyakacūrṇi the eighth pratimā is known as divo-rātri-brahmacarya.—In this stage the layman must relinquish all harmful activity done by himself, but is not yet strong-willed enough to abandon all activity exercised indirectly through agents or servants for the sake of a livelihood.

The Digambaras state that in order to avoid hiṃsā all activity exercised for a livelihood—commerce equally with agriculture—is to be abandoned, but from this prohibition the ārambha inherent in such religious practices as pūjā is expressly excluded.

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., ārambha-tyāga-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: Arambhatyaga, Pratima.

Full-text: Arambhatyaga.

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