Part 6.4 - Begging for Food, Shelter and Bowl etc.

[Full title: Importance of Ācārāṅga-sūtra (4) Begging for Food, Shelter and Bowl etc.]

The ascetic controls both attachment and aversion and lives a disciplined life. The begging of required things is done in well disciplined manner. Otherwise the love and hate for the agreeable and the disagreeable becomes the cause of accepting the unacceptable. Therefore, the abstinence from both attachment and aversion is described while begging. It is explained in Ācārāṅga-sūtra that the monk should comprehend the proper time for the alms round, the condition of his health, the quantity of his food, the proper place of begging, proper behaviour while begging, discipline of begging, the doctrine and the attitude of the giver. He should not have any attachment to alms. He should practice the discipline in proper time and should be free of selfish motive and prejudice.^[1] The ascetic should beg only for such articles that are necessary for sustenance of life. He should only beg for clothes, pots, blankets, dusters, shelters, straw mats.^[2] The homeless wanderer perceives himself and also the ultimate truth. That is why he is called a ‘seer’. Such a seer should use the articles in manner different from that of the common people.^[3] He should not receive them as a possession like that the householder. Understanding that these things are religious materials belonging to the preceptor, he should receive them without any kind of attachment or sense of mine-ness to them. This is

the way declared by Jinas.

Hence, it is clear that begging of necessary things is required from religious aspect as without these his spiritual progress may not be fulfilled. The society may feel that the person becomes monk, beg for everything and hence don’t want to work and earn his livelihood. But, this idea is completely false. Monks don’t want to engage himself in world attire for such necessities. His little requirement can be easily fulfilled by the householders who are engaged in worldly life and without much burden on them. At the same time they earn religious merit by paying reverence to the monks/nuns. The ways of monks must be respected. Sages help us to know the religious and spiritual values of life which helps us to solve our worldly problems.

Leap Ahead—

We considered and discussed above some of the crucially important religious conducts of monks and other points in analysis of Ācārāṅga-sūtra. Additionally, we have also discussed significant points about religion, its development, different sects and contemporaries in Indian tradition during Mahāvīra’s time. It is made clear that all religious rites, rituals, prayers, duties and conduct help us to remove our karmic bondage or kleśa which purifies our soul. Without considering such religious analysis of man’s life it was not possible to know about the soul (ātma) and the way to become supreme soul. Therefore, with a view to move ourselves towards supreme power we, turn to the next chapter about the spiritual analysis of man’s life.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

See Ācārāṅga-sūtra, 2.110

[2]:

Ibid, 2.112

[3]:

Ibid, 2.118