Achar Vichar

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "Achar Vichar" by Sukhlal Sanghavi, focusing on the comparison of Jain and Buddhist ascetic practices:

The text, from "Jain Dharma aur Darshan" (Jainism and Philosophy) published by Jain Education International, draws a crucial distinction between the ascetic paths of Gautama Buddha and Lord Mahavir.

Key Differences in Ascetic Approach:

• Emphasis: While Buddha shifted the emphasis from arduous penance to meditation and spiritual absorption, Mahavir, while also valuing meditation, maintained the importance of rigorous external penance (tapas) and linked it to spiritual purification. This difference in emphasis is presented as a core distinction in their teachings and practices.
• Impact on Followers: The impact of Mahavir and his disciples' ascetic lifestyle on contemporary society, according to the author, influenced Buddha to introduce stricter rules within his monastic order (Sangha), as evident in the Buddhist Vinaya-pitaka. Despite this, Buddha himself never favored external penance and often ridiculed it.
• Later Developments: This emphasis by Buddha led to a softening or "delicacy" within the Buddhist Sangha over time, while Mahavir's external asceticism, in the Jain tradition, degenerated into mere self-mortification. The author clarifies that these later developments are seen as inherent flaws of the respective communities, not the original ideals of the founders.

Jain Ascetic Practices (Nirgrantha Achar):

The text then delves into specific ascetic practices described in the Buddha's life, highlighting their strong resemblance to the "Nirgrantha" (Jain monk) practices found in ancient Jain scriptures like Acharanga and Dashavaikalika. These practices, which Buddha himself followed in his past life (as described by him), are:

• Nudity: Not wearing any clothes.
• Ignoring Invitations: Not responding to greetings like "Ayie bhadanta!" (Come, revered one!) or "Stay standing, revered one!".
• Acceptance of Alms: Accepting alms that are:
  • Offered voluntarily.
  • Prepared with a specific intention for them.
  • Offered with an invitation.
• Rejection of Alms: Refusing alms that are:
  • Given directly from the pot in which food was cooked.
  • Taken from a mortar and pestle.
  • Offered by one person while another is eating.
  • Given by a pregnant woman.
  • Given by a woman alone with men.
  • Given by a woman feeding her child.
  • Collected from communal feasts during festivals, fairs, or journeys.
  • Offered from a place where an animal like a dog is present or where flies are buzzing.
• Dietary Restrictions: Refusal of fish, meat, and alcohol.
• Strict Alms-Taking Rules: Taking only a morsel from one house, or a couple of morsels from two houses, etc.
• Fasting: Observing fasts, ranging from one day to fifteen days.
• Body Hair Removal: Plucking facial and body hair.
• Penance Postures: Performing penance while standing or in a squatting posture.
• Austerity and Cleanliness:
  • Completely abandoning bathing and allowing dirt to accumulate on the body.
  • Moving with extreme caution to avoid harming even the smallest living beings, like water droplets or micro-organisms.
  • Remaining exposed to extreme cold.
  • Not getting upset by the insults, spitting, or ear-poking by ignorant and uncivilized people.

Conclusion on Shared Practices:

The author asserts that when comparing these practices described in Buddhist texts with those of the Nirgrantha tradition in Jain Agamas, there is no doubt that Buddha's contemporary Nirgrantha tradition followed the same ascetic principles that are still observed in the Jain tradition today. The text further suggests that it is highly likely that even the Pavatipatika tradition, predating Mahavir, adhered to these same practices.

The author concludes that the external conduct (bahyachar) adopted by Lord Mahavir for the Nirgrantha tradition was indeed inherited from the earlier Nirgrantha tradition. This leads to the conclusion that, at least from the time of Parshvanath onwards, the ascetic practices within the entire Nirgrantha tradition have remained consistent. The text also mentions that the "Mahavratas" (Great Vows) of the Nirgranthas are discussed in Buddhist texts like the Dighanikaya and Samyutta Nikaya, and that the Srenika Bimbisara's son, Ajatashatru-Kunika, described his encounter with Jnatiputra Mahavir to Buddha, as recorded in the Samyaphala Sutta of the Dighanikaya.

In essence, the text highlights a shared foundation of rigorous external asceticism between early Jainism and Buddhism, while simultaneously pointing out the divergent paths the two traditions took in their emphasis and subsequent evolution.