Jain Monks

http://mysticalnumbers.com/number-5-in-jainism

Jainism is a religion who's main practice is non-violence towards all things and a life of renouncing material objects. Their main concern is that of the well-being of the universe and its inhabitants including humans, animals, plants and even micro-organisms. This idea requires all Jains to live a vegetarian life-style. Jain monks are called Sadu and Jain nuns, who outnumber monks four to one, are called Sadhvi. There are two main sects of monks; the Digambara and the Svetambara (Jainism).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/world_jain_festival/html/1.stm

The Digambara, meaning "sky-clad" take the idea of no material attachments to the extreme, thus they refrain from wearing clothing. This also proves their detachment from modesty and shame. They believe that women do not possess the proper physical body or motivation necessary to obtain enlightenment. Digambara are allowed only two material possessions; a peacock-feather or woolen broom and a wooden bowl for water (Jainworld).

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Contrary to the practices of the Digambara, The Svetambara, meaning "white-clad" do not consider nudity to be an essential aspect of achieving enlightenment. They view women in a respectful manner and believe them to be as capable of possessing the same spirituality as men. They are allowed fourteen material items which are mostly pieces of clothing. There is also the Lay Jain who does not follow as strict a set of laws as the ascetic monk (Jainworld).

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Jainism originated in India some time around the sixth century B.C.E. and is slowly spreading to other parts of the world. Recent census reports that there are between 5 and 10 million Jains in the world; the majority living in India and approximately 25,000 Jains living in Britain (Jainworld). Jainism does not believe in or worship a supreme being which means it is a faith where no help is provided by gods, spirits or angels. Instead, they follow the previous 24 Jinas, conquerors, who have forged the path to salvation. Each Jina was an ascetic who reached enlightenment and are collectively known as the Tirthankaras. The most recent and most celebrated Jina is Mahavira who lived from 599 to 527 B.C.E. Mahavira, previously known as Vardhamana, left his wife and child to assume the life of an ascetic following in the footsteps of his master, Parsva, the 23rd Jina who lived 250 years previously. Mahavira achieved enlightenment and was taken from his mortal body to live in a state of bliss. Thus began the religion of Jainism (History).

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Jains are strict believers in karma, which governs the decisions they make in life. The law of karma states that "The happiness of a being’s present life is the result of the moral quality of the actions of the being in its previous life" (Jainism). Once a soul is rid of all karma, only then is it able to achieve liberation from the bondage of mortal life. The actions they make in this life determines their status in the cycle of reincarnation. As Jains do not believe in higher deities, also does karma work with this notion. A Jain' life is not subject to the interventions of gods or goddesses; only can oneself be in control of his destiny by choosing his own actions which will, in turn, decide the reaction. The photograph above shows karma in its most simple form: give positively unto others and you will receive positively in return.

http://blog.beliefnet.com/projectconversion/2011/11/the-jain-monastic-life-liberation-or-bust.html

The practices and daily routines of Jain monks are extremely strict. These practices vary between sects, but remain the routine of most Jains. The photograph above displays a Svetambara monk sitting upon a woolen mat. In front of him is a woolen broom called a rajoharan that he used to sweep the ground prior to sitting down, and is also often used to sweep the ground before walking. His mouth is covered by a piece of cloth called a muhapati. These are all measures Jain monks take to practice ahimsa, non-violence, and prevent the death of any organism by crushing or inhalation. They must refraining from eating or drinking between sunset and sunrise, else they might accidentally ingest an unseen insect. The only food a monk is allowed to eat is that which is given to him. He is only to take small amounts from multiple houses, ensuring that he is not causing the giving family to have to cook more for themselves. Other laws by which most Jain monks must abide are boiling water before ingesting, not cooking or preparing food, eating with their hands, walking barefoot no matter the conditions, and plucking their own hairs from their head (Jainworld).

http://mysticalnumbers.com/number-5-in-jainism

Jains monks have many different sets of laws or scripture. One of the major sets is called the Mahavratas, or the Five Great Vows. There are two sets of the vows, one called the "greater" which is followed by ascetic Jains and the other called the "lesser" followed by lay Jains. The greater vows taken by ascetic monks are as follows:

1. Ahimsa non-violence, cause no harm to any living being

2. Satya speaking the truth

3. Asetya not taking anything that is not given to them by the owner

4. Brahmacharya complete abstinence from sex

5. Aparigraha detachment from places, persons and things

Lay Jains are below monks on the list of supreme beings. They are expected to listen to the teachings of the monks as well as provide them with meals. Not differing much from the greater vows are the lesser vows for non-ascetics, which include:

1. Ahimsa try to avoid destruction of living-beings, not do work that involves deliberate destruction of life

2. Satya truthfulness

3. Asteya not fall for temptations, for example tax-avoidance

4. Brahmacharya only engage in sex within the marriage

5. Aparigraha give to religious needs (Numbers)

http://mysticalnumbers.com/number-5-in-jainism

The fylfot also known as a swastika is the symbolic figure of Jainism. The blue dots within the four limbs represent the four possible types of rebirth; heavenly beings, mortal humans, lower living beings, or creatures of hell. The uppermost yellow crescent holding a dot is the final resting place for the souls who have rid themselves of karma and have reached their final resting place. The three green dots above the figure represent another group of governing laws called the Three Jewels suggested by Mahavira. These are Right Faith, Right Knowledge and Right Conduct (Numbers).

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There are many festivals held sacred to the Jain religion. The festival of Mahamastakabhisheka in southern India is only held every 12 years and celebrates the life of the Jain teacher, Bahubali, who obtained enlightenment through meditation. Jain pilgrims travel barefoot, some for years, and some from as far as the United Kingdom to attend the anointing of a 1000 year-old statue. Worshipers anoint the 59 foot-tall statue with offerings of rice flour, holy water, milk, liquid turmeric and other spice pastes. This is in attempt to help purify their own souls, and by doing so they might avoid reincarnation (Anoint). Annual festivals include the Mahavira Jayanti, celebrating the birth of their latest Jina, Mahavira. Paryushana is a time of reflection and repentance and is done so through 8-10 days of fasting. Diwali is the festival of lights shared by Hindus, and honors Mahavira's attainment of Nirvana (Festivals).

http://www.pluscardenabbey.org/becoming-a-monk.asp

The lifestyle and expectations of a Jain monk differs greatly from that of a Catholic monk. The biggest difference between the two groups is that Catholic monks devote their lives to worshiping and preaching about God while Jain monks do not believe in a god. Also, a Catholic monk is able to be "released" from his position if he desires or if he breaks the rules. Catholic monks live in large groups in monasteries which can house up to hundreds of monks at a time. Jain monks move from place to place frequently so as to avoid becoming attached to one specific location. If they live in a monastery for a short amount of time it is only within a small group of five or six other monks. Many Jain monks do not wear clothing and Catholic monks believe in modesty. Jain monks spend most of their time in meditation and silence while Catholic monks use chanting and Bible recitation as forms of worship. Some similarities between Jain and Catholic monks include poverty, their practice of celibacy, and a life completely devoted to their faith. (Catholic)

Works Cited

(Anoint) Karoki, Lewis. "Jain Festivals." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2012. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/world_jain_festival/html/1.stm>.

(Catholic) "Becoming a Monk of Pluscarden." Becoming a Monk. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. <http://www.pluscardenabbey.org/becoming-a-monk.asp>.

(Festivals) "Jainism." Faith Wales. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. <http://www.glamfaith.org.uk/uk/faith-groups/20/festivals/>.

(History) "History of Jainism." History of Jainism. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2012. <http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?ParagraphID=bcj>.

(Jainism) "A Study of Jainism." A Study of Jainism. N.p., 07 June 2012. Web. 14 Dec. 2012. <http://astudyofjainismandjainculture.tumblr.com/>.

(Jainworld) "The Digambara and Svetambara Sects." The Digambara and Svetambara Sects. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2012. <http://www.jainworld.com/jainbooks/antiquity/digasvet.htm>.

(Numbers) "Number 5 in Jainism." MysticalNumberscom. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2012. <http://mysticalnumbers.com/number-5-in-jainism>.

(Photograph) Bowen, A. "Project Conversion." Project Conversion. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2012. <http://blog.beliefnet.com/projectconversion/2011/11/the-jain-monastic-life-liberation-or-bust.html>.

(Photograph) "Jain Nuns at the V&A." V&A Home Page. Victoria and Albert Museum, 2012. Web. 15 Dec. 2012. <http://www.vam.ac.uk/users/node/5278>.

 (Photograph) "Karma Doctrine Of Jainism." Next Level Consciousness. HereNow4U, 20 Aug. 2009. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. <http://www.herenow4u.net/index.php?id=65995>.