The Jain Way of Life

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:03:05 EST

The Jain way of life prescribes thirty-five virtues for a marganusari - one who follows the path shown by Jinas. One is to cultivate thesevirtues to develop the right attitude of living and not to stray from thespiritual path. These virtues are listed as obligatory duties, derogations thatare to be discarded, virtues to be cultivated and endeavors to be carried outwith diligence.

The obligatory duties include a householder pursuing somekind of business, trade or profession, not of an ignoble or degrading nature.He is to act in a jest and honest way, and in proportion to his capital. If heis to serve under another, he is to act in proportion to his strength. Thebusiness he does shall not harm other men, animals, fish, birds or insects. Thebusiness, therefore, excludes that of a butcher, brewer, wine merchant, armsdealer or anything that involves destruction of life. When he earns moneyhonestly, he remains peaceful and can enjoy his wealth without any disturbance.

The layman is not to marry from his lineage. One is tomarry from a different gotra, but with similar character, taste,culture, language, etc. This is to result in harmonious relationship withoutany discord and misunderstanding. He is to respect parents and elders. He is toserve the ascetics who come to him for bhiksha as well as guests withdue respect. He is to help the needy and destitute. He is to maintain hisdependents and make them work for the wellbeing of the whole family. He is tolive in a house not accessible to thieves, and cannot be entered by undesirablepeople. He is to dress according to his means in a decent way. He is to incurexpenses in proportion to his income. He is to drink and eat at the proper timesuitable to his constitution. He is to eat food only at home and fast when hesuffers from indigestion.

The derogations include giving up calumny, betrayingtrust, deceiving and cheating; giving up anger, pride, deceit, greed,attachment and aversion; avoiding places of danger to life such asbattlefields, places of epidemics and famine; and giving up meat eating,intoxicants and crimes that might lead to imprisonment. He is to perform hishousehold duties properly, and shall not neglect his religious duties.

The virtues to be cultivated include acquiring the habitof discretion between the right and the wrong act, and to keep away from sinfulacts. He is to be farsighted and is to plan for the future needs of his family.While taking up any responsibility, he is to consider his strengths andweaknesses. He is always to keep his temperament, voice and appearance gentleand serene.

The endeavors to be carried out include keeping thecompany of noble people and admiring their virtues. One is to havecompassionate attitude towards all, and help everyone without selfishness.

One is to express gratitude to all who help one, and behumble.

A layman should do svadhyaya, study of holy texts,everyday. He is to listen to the discourses of monks. He is to try tounderstand tattvas, essential truths, the meaning of dharmasastras,etc to know the path of right faith, right knowledge and right conduct.

The Jain way of life prescribes the above code of conductfor its adherents so that they gain material prosperity while they advancespiritually. This shows that the Jain Acharyas have given verydeep thought to practical day-to-day life of the laity. All these qualitiesmake a layman spiritually conscious, while making his life peaceful andharmonious.

According to the Jain tradition, those who desire to risein spiritual line must follow five anuvratas (primary vows) prescribedfor a householder. They consist of observance of non-violence, truthfulness,non-stealing, chastity and non-possession. A householder shall also practice dana (charity), sheela (virtuous conduct), tapas (austerity) and bhavana (pure thoughts).

Non-violence is the attitude of equality towards allliving creatures, leading to compassion and kindness to all living beings.Non-violence in Jainism embraces not only human beings, but also animals,birds, plants, creatures on earth, in air and in water, vegetables, etc. It isthe holy law of compassion extended to body, mind and word of a living being.Lord Mahavira says, ‘All living beings desire to live. They detest sorrow anddeath, and desire a long and happy life. Hence, one should not inflict pain onany creature, nor have any feeling of antipathy or enmity. One should befriendly towards all creatures.'

All the other vows of Jainism flow from the vow ofnon-violence. Truthfulness is essential to keep order and harmony in society.One is to practice it constantly and consistently to maintain integrity in thesociety. One is to observe the vow of non-stealing to earn one's living byhonest means. One violates the vow of aparigraha by accepting andholding what one does not need. One needs to practice the vow of chastity tomaintain social morality.

As for spiritual advancement, the Jain way of lifestresses on six essential practices. They are samayika, chaturvinshatistava, vandana, pratikramana, kayotsarga and pratyakhyana.

Samaiyka means to be devoid of attachment andaversion, to be indifferent to life or death, gain or loss, fortune ormisfortune, friend or foe, joy or sorrow, etc. It means samatva orequanimity. The Jain way of life requires a householder to practice thisprinciple for at least 48 minutes everyday. It means that, during this spell,he is to remain aloof from his domestic and business activity and spend it incontemplation, meditation or spiritual study.

Chaturvinshati stava means worship of thetwenty-four Tirthankaras by reciting their stotras and bhajans.Tirthankaras are beings free from attachment and aversion. By theirworship, people may cultivate virtues to some extent in their lives.

Vandana is to offer one's reverential salutationsto the sadhus (sages) and sadhvis (nuns). Association with suchholy people results in development of virtues.

Pratikramana is a process of contemplation andintrospection to be done in the morning and in the evening. A Jain is supposedto introspect in the morning and in the evening whether he is developing goodqualities. If he has committed any mistake, he is to repent for it and ensureits avoidance thereafter.

Kayotsarga means literally abandonment of body inone steady posture. It is to be done in a posture suitable to the seeker,sitting or standing, for meditation. This helps in keeping the mind undercontrol.

Pratyakhyana enjoins on a seeker to take vowseveryday to purify his life. He is ever to keep the distinction in view betweenthe body and the soul. As the body perishes, the soul has no death and lastsforever. The seeker is ever to seek self-fulfillment and self-realization.

The Jain way of life focuses on a combination of rightfaith, right knowledge and right conduct to tread the path of salvation. Theseconstitute the three jewels of Jainism. Lord Mahavira says. ‘By knowledge oneunderstands the nature of substances; by faith one believes in them; by conductone puts an end to the flow of karma; and by austerity one attainspurity.' The Jain way of life stresses on simplicity and nobility in humanconduct.

The principles of Jainism are universal in character andapplicable to all societies in all times.

K. R. Paramahamsa is an author of book Living in Spirit.

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The Jain Way of Life