Twelve Vows Of
Layperson
The five great
vows (Maha-vratas) can be adopted by monks who are very keen
about the uplift of their souls and ready to sacrifice all
worldly enjoyments and family ties.
For those who
want to remain in family life and for whom complete avoidance of
five principle sins are difficult, Jain ethics specifies the
following twelve vows to be carried out by the householder.
Of this twelve
vows, the first five are main vows of limited nature (Anuvratas).
They are somewhat easier in comparison with great vows (Maha-vratas).
The great vows are for the monks.
The next three
vows are known as merit vows (Guna-vratas), so called because
they enhance and purify the effect of the five main vows and
raise their value manifold. It also governs the external conduct
of an individual.
The last four are
called disciplinary vows (Shikhsa-vratas). They are intended to
encourage the person in the performance of their religious
duties. They reflect the purity of one's heart. They govern
one's internal life and are expressed in a life that is marked
by charity. They are preparatory to the discipline of an
ascetic's life.
Three merit vows
(Gunavrats) and four disciplinary vows (Shikhsa-vratas) together
are known as Seven vows of virtuous conduct (Shilas).
A person may
adopt these vows, according to his individual capacity and
circumstances with the intent to adopt ultimately as a great
vows.
The layperson
should be very careful while observing and following these
limited vows. These vows being limited or restricted vows may
still leave great scope for the commitment of sins and
possession of property.
The twelve vows
are described as follows:
Five Main Vows
of Limited Nature (Anuvratas):
- Non-violence
Anuvrat - Ahimsa Anuvrat (Sthula Pranatipat Viraman)
- Truthfulness
Anuvrat - Satya Anuvrat (Sthula Mrisavada Viraman)
- Non-stealing
Anuvrat - Achaurya Anuvrat (Sthula Adattadana Viraman)
- Chastity
Anuvrat - Bhramacharya Anuvrat (Sthula Maithuna Viraman)
- Non-attachment
Anuvrat- Aparigraha Anuvrat (Sthula Parigraha Viraman)
Three Merit Vows
(Guna-vrats):
- Dik Vrata -
Limited area of activity vow
- Bhoga-Upbhoga
Vrata - Limited use of consumable and non-consumable items
vow
- Anartha-danda
Vrata - Avoidance of purposeless sins vow
Four
Disciplinary Vows (Siksha-vratas):
- Samayik Vrata
- Meditation vow of limited duration
- Desavakasika
Vrata - Activity vow of limiting space
- Pausadha Vrata
- Ascetic's life Vow of limited duration
- Atithi
Samvibhaga Vrata - Limited charity vow
1. Non-violence
Anuvrat (Ahimsa Anuvrat):
In this vow, a
person must not intentionally hurt any living being (plants,animals,humans
etc.) or their feeling either by thought, word or deed, himself,
or through others, or by approving such an act committed by
somebody else.
Intention in this
case applies selfish motive, sheer pleasure and even avoidable
negligence.
He may use force,
if necessary, in the defense of his country, society, family,
life, property, religious institute.
His agricultural,
industrial, occupational living activities do also involve
injury to life, but it should be as minimum as possible, through
carefulness and due precaution.
Four stages of
violence are described:
- Premeditated
Violence to attack someone knowingly
- Defensive
Violence to commit intentional violence in defense of one's
own life
- Vocational
Violence to incur violence in the execution of one's means
of livelihood
- Common
Violence to commit violence in the performance of daily
activities
Premeditated
violence is prohibited for all. A householder is permitted to
incur violence defensively and vocationally provided he
maintains complete detachment. Common violence is accepted for
survival, but even here, one should be careful in preparing
food, cleaning house, etc. This explains the Jain's practices of
filtering drinking water, vegetarianism, not eating meals at
night, and abstinence from alcohol.
Nonviolence is
the foundation of Jain ethics.
Lord Mahavir says:
`one should not injure, subjugate, enslave, torture or kill
any living being including animals, insects, plants, and
vegetables.'
This is the essence
of religion. It embraces the welfare of all animals. It is the
basis of all stages of knowledge and the source of all rules of
conduct. The scriptures analyze the spiritual and practical
aspects of nonviolence and discuss the subject negatively and
positively.
2. Truthfulness
Anuvrat (Satya Anuvrat):
The second of the
five limited vows is Truth. It is more than abstaining from
falsehood. It is seeing the world in its real form and adapting
to that reality. The vow of truth puts a person in touch with
his inner strength and inner capacities.
In this vow, a
person avoids lies, such as giving false evidence, denying the
property of others entrusted to him, avoid cheating others etc.
The vow is to be followed in thought, action, and speech, and by
doing it himself or by getting it done through others.
He should not
speak the truth, if it harms others or hurts their feelings. He
should, under these circumstances, keep silence.
3. Non-stealing
(Achaurya / Asteya) Anuvrat:
In this vow, a
person must not steal, rob, or misappropriate others goods and
property. He also must not cheat and use illegal means in
acquiring worldly things, nor through others or by approving
such an act committed by others.
4. Chastity (Bhramacharya)
Anuvrat:
The basic intent of
this vow is to conquer passion and to prevent the waste of
energy. Positively stated, the vow is meant to impart the sense
of serenity to the soul.
In this vow, the
house holder must not have a sensual relationship with anybody
but one's own lawfully wedded spouse. Even with one's own
spouse, excessive indulgence of all kinds of sensual pleasure
need be avoided.
5.
Non-possession / Non-attachment (Aparigraha) Anuvrat:
Non-possession is
the fifth limited vow. As long as a person does not know the
richness of joy and peace that comes from within, he tries to
fill his empty and insecure existence with the clutter of
material acquisitions.
Lord Mahavir
said, security born of material things is a delusion. To
remove this delusion, one takes the vow of non-possession and
realizes the perfection of the soul.
One must impose a
limit on one's needs, acquisitions, and possessions such as
land, real estate, goods, other valuables, animals, money, etc.
The surplus should be used for the common good. One must also
limit the every day usage of number of food items, or articles
and their quantity.
This Jain
principle of limited possession for householders helps in
equitable distribution of wealth, comforts, etc., in the
society. Thus Jainism helps in establishing socialism, economic
stability, and welfare in the world.
Non-possession,
like non-violence, affirms the oneness of all life and is
beneficial to an individual in his spiritual growth and to the
society for the redistribution of wealth.
6. Dik Vrata -
Limited Area of Activity Vow
This vow limits
one's worldly activities to certain area in all the ten
directions; north, south, east, west, north-east, north-west,
south-east, south-west, above and below. He gives up committing
sins in any place outside the limited areas. This vow provides a
space limit to the commitments of sins not restricted by the
limited vows of non-violence. Thus outside the limited area, the
limited vows assumes the status of full vow (Maha-vratas).
7. Bhoga-Upbhoga
Vrata - Limited use of Consumable/Non-consumable items vow
Generally one
commits the sin by one's use or enjoyment of consumable (Bhoga)
and non-consumable (Upbhoga) things.
Consumable (Bhoga)
means enjoyment of an object which can only be used once, such
as food, drink, fruits and flowers.
Non-consumable (Upabhoga)
means enjoyment of an object which can be used several times,
such as furniture, cloths, ornaments, buildings etc.
One should,
therefore, limit the use of these two items in accordance with
his own need and capacity by taking this vows.
This vow provides
the time limit to the commitments of sins notrestricted by
Aparigraha Anuvrata
8. Anartha-danda
Vrata - Avoidance of Purposeless Sins Vow
One must not commit
unnecessary or purposeless sin or moral offense as defined
below. Thinking, talking, or preaching evil or ill of others.
Doing
inconsiderate or useless acts such as walking on the grass
unnecessarily.
Manufacturing or
supplying arms for attack.
Reading or
listening, improper literature, or carelessness in ordinary
behavior.
Thus this vow is
of great practical importance. It makes life more vigilant and
sin-proof.
9. Samayik Vrata
- Limited Meditation Vow
Meditation of the
soul and its relationship with nature is known as Samayik.
By giving up
affection and aversion (Rag and Dvesha), observing equanimity in
all objects, thinking evil of no one, and being at peace with
the world, one should practice this vow of meditation (Samayik).
This vow consists
in sitting down at one place for at least 48 minutes
concentrating one's mind on religious activities like reading
religious books, praying, or meditating. This vow may be
repeated many times in a day. It is to be observed by mind,
body, and speech.
The meditation of
48 minutes makes a person realize the importance of a life long
vow to avoid all sinful activities and is a stepping stone to a
life of full renunciation.
10. Desavakasika
Vrata - Limited Duration of Activity Vow
This vow sets the
new limit within the limitations already set by Dik Vrata and
Bhoga-Upbhoga Vrata. The general life long limitation of doing
business in certain areas and the use of articles are further
restricted for a particular days time of the week.
This means that
one shall not, during a certain period of time, do any activity,
business, or travel beyond a certain city, street, house or have
anything to do with the enjoyment of objects beyond that limit.
11. Pausadha
Vrata - Limited Ascetic's Life Vow
This vow requires to
live the life of a monk for a day. During this time one should
retire to a secluded place, renounce all sinful activities,
abstain in seeking pleasure from all objects of the senses,
observe due restraint of body, speech and mind. A person follows
five great vows (Maha-vratas) completely during this time. He
passes his time in spiritual contemplation, perform meditation (Samayik),
engage in self study, and worship Gods (Arihants and Siddhas).
This vow promotes
and nourishes one's religious life and provides training for
ascetic life.
12. Atithi
Samvibhaga Vrata - Limited Charity Vow
One should give
food, clothes, medicine, and other articles of its own
possession to monks, nuns, and a pious person. The food offered
should be pure and with reverence.
One should not
prepare any foods specially for monks because monks are not
allowed to have such foods. Donating of one's own food and
articles to monks and others, provides an inner satisfaction and
raises one's consciousness to higher level. It also saves him
from acquiring of more sins if he would have used the same for
his nourishment, comfort and pleasure.
Peaceful Death:
In the final days of
life, a householder observes peaceful death. The house-holder
can attain a peaceful death (Sallekhana) if he truly follows the
above twelve vows. The peaceful death is characterized by
non-attachment to the worldly objects and by a suppression of
the passions at the time of death. The last thought should be of
a calm renunciation of the body, and this thought should ever be
present long before death supervenes.
Conclusion:
By performing these
twelve vows, a lay follower may live a righteous life and
advance towards a fuller and more perfect life, and conquer
desire.
While earning
wealth, supporting family, and taking up arms to protect
himself, his family, his country, etc. against intruder, he is
taught self restraint, love and enmity. On one hand, he is
debarred from doing any harm to himself, to his family, to his
country, or to humanity by his reckless conduct. On the other
hand, by giving up attachments he gradually prepares himself for
the life of ascetics.
If one goes
deeper into the rules laid down, he will find that practice of
limiting the number of things to be kept or enjoyed by himself
eliminates the danger of concentration of wealth at one point,
which will help to minimize poverty and crime in the society.
Thus limiting the desires of individuals, results in a ideal
society. |
