Part 6 - Spiritual Practices prescribed for Jain ascetics—Monks and Nuns

[Monks and Nuns—śramaṇa-ācāra]

According to Acaramgasutra^[1], an ascetic (anagāra) is one who, considering the consequences of mundane indulgence and passions desists from any desire for the same and gets free from greed. The one who destroys all karma is called accomplished (kuśala).

Third chapter of Acaramgasutra describes causes and remedies of passions. Favourable and unfavourable conditions give rise to attachment and aversion. Remedy is to tolerate them with equanimity. Only wakeful state of consciousness (jāgṛta) is important for spirituality. The precipitation of faith delusive karma is the deepest slumber^[2] (suṣupti). The wakeful and alert ascetic only can shed this karma.

Lord Mahavira says that Mohaniya karma (delusion) is the root of all karma and other seven are like tips^[3]. One should ponder over three types of knowledge: earlier birth, birth-death and comparative study of one’s own happiness and sorrow and also those of other beings. Uttaradhyayan (32/5) mentions that attachment and aversion is root of a tree where tip includes all eight karmas. The various manifestations of these karmas are like leaves of the tree.

Those who irrigate them continuously are reborn again and again.

pālīchindiyana nikkaṃ madansi^[4]

By completely destroying resultant karma, with Tapa and Samyama, soul attains a state having perception unveiled by karma (niṣkāmadarśī), which is interpreted in four ways:

1. Being free of all karma, soul perceiving (ātmadarśī);
2. Being free of Raga-dvesha, all perceiving (sarvadarśī);
3. In absence of consequential activities or effects of karma, inactivity perceiving (akriyādarśī);
4. In total absence of karma, liberation perceiving (mokṣadarśī);

A person who has properly understood sound, form, smell, taste and touch is spiritualist (ātmavāna), sagacious (jñānavāna) scholar of canons (vedavāna), religious (dharmavāna), and chaste (brahmavāna) is a spiritual unique personality (vibhūti) in true sense^[5]. Nirgranth (knotless, without bondages) is one who counters with equanimity, lack of interest, liking for discipline and austerities^[6].

An ascetic should come out of sequence of all kasayas: anger, conceit, illusion, greed, love, hatred, fondness, womb, birth, death, hell, animals and misery^[7].

Most of the Jain scriptures have mentioned following practices for Sramana or Sadhu:

[The five Mahavratas]

They observe following six necessary rules (Sadavasyaka), the details are discussed later elsewhere:

1. Samayika;
2. Caturvimsatistava;
3. Vandana;
4. Pratikamana;
5. Kayotsarga;
6. Pratyakhyana;

Apart from these observances, Dasavidha-dharma (ten supreme duties) and Parisahjay (to bear with all the hurdles on the path of spiritual practices) are mentioned in Tattvarthasutra.

Some prominent practices for monks and nuns are described further here.

Gochari (Alms): Jain monks i.e. Sadhus-Sadhvis do not cook their food on their own or by somebody and they do not accept any food, which has been prepared for them. They go to different house holders and receive a small amount of vegetarian food from each house irrespective of their taste or likings. This practice is called as Gochari. Here, householder need not cook again and the monks do not develop taste of one family only, no attachments. Cooking process involves much violence in the form of fire, vegetable chopping, water consumption and other related activities. Digambar monks eat the food given in their palms only.

Vihara (Travel): The Jain monks and Nuns travel bare footed from one place to another continuously for eight months in a year to avoid developing an attachment to the material and people around them at the same place. Remaining four months of monsoon, they stay at one place to avoid crushing bugs and insects on wet surface. They never go out in dark or rain. They utilize full time available to them in study (svadhyay) scriptures, learning from their Gurus and preaching religion and provide proper guidance to people.

Loch (Plucking of hair): In their renounced life, monks and nuns do not shave or cut hair with instruments, but pluck their hair twice in a year, a kind of austerity where one bears pain of plucking hair calmly. This is also called as “Kesh-lochan”.

Clothing: Digambar Jain monks, as the name suggests, do not wear any clothes. Swetambar monks wear un-stitched white cotton clothes, not more than two or three if required, during travelling. They carry a rectangular small mat called “katasana” to sit on, a piece of cloth of the size of handkerchief to cover their mouth while speaking and a stick while walking. They also have “Ogho” or rajoharan (a broom of woolen threads) to clear insects from the places, where they sit or walk. They have to keep this Ogho all the time with them, which reminds them of observance of Maha-Vrata.

Pratikramana (Introspection): Jain monks and Nuns are in Samayik round o”clock (wakeful meditation) and in addition, twice a day, morning and evening, they perform Pratikamana, a thorough introspection to wash out all sinful activities and repenting for all those from bottom of hearts. Further to this, they add deeper introspection periodically like fortnightly, Quarterly in a year and yearly as mentioned earlier.

The above referred ritualistic and unique practices may differ among various sects of Jains but the essential principles remains the same to limit needs. Their entire life is dedicated to the spiritual uplift of their souls and others. They show the path of righteous and disciplined life to every one through discussions, discourses, seminars and camps to attain spiritual prosperity. As per following sutra, Tattvarthasutra describes five categories of Jain monks and refer them as Nirgranths. Nirgranth means having no possession. Contemporary Buddhist texts used to refer to Lord Mahavira as Nirgranth.

Following five categories of monks are mentioned in ascending order in the scripture^[8].

a) Pulak is the category of those monks who try to stay on the path of detached Lords, but fail to observe restrains.

b) Bakush: denotes those monks who care for their body, look for physical comforts and are prone to indulge in faults or transgressions.

c) Kusheel: This includes two types; Pratisevana Kusheel denotes those who indulge in transgressions under the influence of sense organs and the other type Kasaya Kusheel type indulge in light defilement.

d) Nirgranth denoting those who are close to omniscience.

e) Snatak denotes those who have attained omniscience.

Tattvarthasutra also describes following eight criteria for evaluating the level of monks^[9]:

a) Samyam: It includes various types of conduct or Caritra. Depending upon degree of observance to prevent karma, type of Caritra could be Samayik, Chhedopasthapan, Pariharvishuddhi, Suksmasamparay and Yathakhyat. The detail of it is given earlier under “ways of Samvar” in this chapter.

b) Sruta: This relates to the scriptural knowledge of different levels of Nirgranths. It ranges from knowledge of minimum spiritual codes to infinite.

c) Pratisevana: This relates to possibilities for transgression of restrains. Pulaks are prone to transgression of all types of restrains, where as Kasay, Kusheel, Nirgranth and Snatak are not prone to transgression to any restrains.

d) Tirtha: This relates to the order, where they are found. All five categories can exist in the order of all Tirthankars.

e) Linga: This relates to symbol, which can be physical or modal (intentional).

f) Lesya: This pertains to color or aura they have.

g) Upapat: This relates to next rebirth and longevity. Where thay would be reborn and how much they would live depends on the level.

h) Sthana: This relates to the level of observing restraints, and varies from person to person. The highest level, which a Snatak can attain, leads to Nirvana.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Amarmuni, Acharamgasutra, sutra-72, p.92

[2]:

Ibid, sutra-107, p.154, Dashashrut skandh (5/11-14; 3/2/102)

[3]:

Ibid, sutra-116, p.175

[4]:

Ibid, sutra-116, p.175

[5]:

Ibid, sutra-108, p.157

[6]:

Ibid, sutra-111, p.161

[7]:

Ibid, sutra–129-131, pp.193-195

[8]:

pulākabakuśakuśīlanirgranthasnātakāḥ nirganthāḥ | T.S. 9.46

[9]:

saṃyama śrutapratisevanā tīrthaliṃgaleśyopapādasthana vikalpataḥ sādhyāḥ | T.S. 9.47