The Religions of India: Handbooks on the History of Religions, Volume 1, Edited by Morris JastrowHopkins, Edward Washburn
Religion
The Religions of India: Handbooks on the History of Religions, Volume 1, Edited by Morris Jastrow
Hopkins, Edward Washburn
India -- Religion
The equipment of a monk are his clothes (or, better, none), his
alms-bowl, broom, and veil. He is 'unfettered,' in being without
desires and without injury to others. 'Some say that all sorts of
living beings may be slain, or abused, or tormented, or driven
away--the doctrine of the unworthy. The righteous man does not kill
nor cause others to kill. He should not cause the same punishment for
himself.'
The last clause is significant. What he does to another living being
will be done to him. He will suffer as he has caused others to suffer.
The chain from emotion to hell--the avoidance of the former is on
account of the fear of the latter--is thus connected: He who knows
wrath knows pride; he who knows pride knows deceit; he who knows
deceit knows greed (and so on; thus one advances) from greed to love,
from love to hate, from hate to delusion, from delusion to conception,
from conception to birth, from birth to death, from death to hell,
from hell to animal existence, 'and he who knows animal existence
knows pain.'
The five great vows, which have been thought by some scholars to be
copies of the Buddhistic rules, whereas they are really modifications
of the old Brahmanic rules for ascetics as explained in pre-Buddhistic
literature, are in detail as follows:[28]
The First vow: I renounce all killing of living beings, whether
subtile or gross, whether movable or immovable. Nor shall I myself
kill living beings nor cause others to do it, nor consent to it. As
long as I live I confess and blame, repent and exempt myself of these
sins in the thrice threefold way,[29] in mind, speech, and body.
The five 'clauses' that explain this vow are: (1) the Niggantha (Jain)
is careful in walking; (2) he does not allow his mind to act in a way
to suggest injury of living beings; (3) he does not allow his speech
to incite to injury; (4) he is careful in laying down his utensils;
(5) he inspects his food and drink lest he hurt living beings.
The Second Vow: I renounce all vices of lying speech arising from
anger, or greed, or fear, or mirth. I confess (etc, as in the first
vow).
The five clauses here explain that the Niggantha speaks only after
deliberation; does not get angry; renounces greed; renounces fear;
renounces mirth--lest through any of these he be moved to lie.
The Third Vow: I renounce all taking of anything not given, either in
a village, or a town, or a wood, either of little or much, or small or
great, of living or lifeless things. I shall neither take myself what
is not given nor cause others to take it, nor consent to their taking
it. As long as I live I confess (etc., as in the first vow).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account