Acharang Sutra Part 01

This is a summary of the provided text, focusing on the content and teachings of the Acharya Sutra Part 01. The provided text is a detailed introduction and synopsis of the first volume of the Acharya Sutra, a foundational text in Jainism.

Book Title: Acharya Sutra Part 01 Author(s): Nemichand Banthiya, Parasmal Chandaliya Publisher: Akhil Bharatiya Sudharm Jain Sanskruti Rakshak Sangh

Overall Purpose and Context:

The Acharya Sutra is presented as the foundational text for Jain monastic conduct (acharya). It emphasizes the importance of adhering strictly to ethical principles and vows, prioritizing spiritual purification and self-realization over external displays or propagation. The introduction highlights a concern about modern interpretations of Jain asceticism that may have become "propagation-centric" rather than truly "practice-centric."

Key Themes and Teachings:

• The Primacy of Conduct (Achara): The Achara Sutra is placed first among the Jain Anga Sutras because it lays down the fundamental principles of conduct for ascetics. It is considered the bedrock of monastic life and the direct cause of liberation.
• Self-Realization as the Goal: The ultimate aim of renouncing worldly life and adopting asceticism is presented as self-benefit, self-purification, self-peace, and self-stability.
• The Importance of Self-Care for Ascetics: The text cautions ascetics against self-neglect or compromising their vows while propagating dharma. It uses the analogy of burning one's own hut to warm others, emphasizing that an ascetic must first preserve their own spiritual integrity (their "hut") to be able to guide others.
• The Essence of Achara: The "essence" of Achara (conduct) is traced through a series of concepts:
  • Achara's essence is Anuyogartha (understanding the meaning of scriptural analysis).
  • Anuyogartha's essence is Prapurva (detailed exposition).
  • Prapurva's essence is Charitra (righteous conduct).
  • Charitra's essence is Nirvana (liberation).
  • Nirvana's essence is Avyavaha Sukha (unhindered bliss).
• Karma and Non-Violence (Ahimsa): The text strongly links the cycle of birth and death to karma, primarily caused by violence (himsa) born of attachment and aversion (ragadvesha). The complete renunciation of violence in thought, word, and deed (three Karan and three Yoga) is crucial for an ascetic's life.
• The Six Lifestream Categories (Shat Jivanikaya): The text begins by describing the nature of Prithvi-kaya (earth), Apa-kaya (water), Teu-kaya (fire), Vayu-kaya (air), Vanaspati-kaya (plants), and Tras-kaya (mobile beings). It emphasizes that harming any of these, even for personal or societal gain, leads to severe karmic bondage.
• The Structure of the Universe: Lord Mahavir's teachings on the division of the universe into three realms (Urdhva-loka, Madhya-loka, and Adho-loka) are mentioned, highlighting the predominance of suffering in Adho-loka, a mix in Madhya-loka, and happiness in Urdhva-loka. The Madhya-loka is significant as it is from here that beings can ascend, descend, or remain, and through rigorous practice, achieve liberation.
• The Authorship and Structure: The text attributes the meaning of the teachings to Lord Mahavir and the formulation of the sutras to Ganadhar Sudharma Swami. It notes that while Lord Mahavir delivered the meaning, each Ganadhar recorded it in their own linguistic style, leading to the nine Ganas. The current accessible Anga literature is attributed to Ganadhar Sudharma Swami after Lord Mahavir's Nirvana.
• Study of Achara Sutra: It was considered essential for newly initiated monks and nuns to study the Achara Sutra before other texts like the Dashavaikalika Sutra because it is the key to understanding ascetic conduct.
• Two Shrutaskandhas: The Achara Sutra has two Shrutaskandhas (sections). The first has nine studies (adhyayan), and the second has sixteen studies plus two Chula (appendices). The language and style of the two sections differ, leading some to believe they have different authors, but followers of the Agamas believe they originate from the same person.
• Specific Studies (Adhyayan) of the First Shrutaskandha:
  1. Shastra Parigyan (Knowledge of Weapons): Defines "weapons" not as physical arms but as mental states like negative intentions (ashubha yoga), attachment, and aversion. It details how to understand (gya parigyan) and renounce (pratyakhyan parigyan) the causes of karmic bondage. This study discusses the self (Atmavadi), the world (Lokavadi), karma (Karmavadi), and action (Kriyavadi). It strongly prohibits the initiation of any of the six life categories, emphasizing that the intent behind an action matters.
  2. Lokavijaya (Conquest of the World): Focuses on overcoming internal "worlds" like desires, anger, pride, deceit, greed (kashayas) and sensory objects (shabda, rupa, etc.). It illustrates the impermanence of life, the unreliability of family, and the importance of engaging in self-welfare before the senses decay. It condemns attachment to worldly pleasures and the accumulation of wealth.
  3. Shitoshniya (Cold and Heat): Discusses enduring dualities (pleasant/unpleasant experiences) with equanimity. It highlights the difference between being spiritually "asleep" (mithyatva, ignorance) and "awake" (spiritual awakening), even if physically asleep. It warns against attachment to physical comforts and emphasizes non-violence even towards subtle beings.
  4. Samyaktva (Right Faith): Explains the nature of true faith (Samyaktva) through right knowledge, right perception, right conduct, and right austerity. It covers the true essence of the soul.
  5. Lokasara (Essence of the World): Defines true "essence" as righteousness, knowledge, conduct, and austerity, not material possessions. It explains that true essence leads to liberation, which is the ultimate goal.
  6. Dhutakhya (The Pure Ascetic): Focuses on shedding all attachments and destroying karma. It describes various aspects of achieving this detachment, including abandoning relatives, detachment from ascetic implements, enduring hardships, and facing adversities with equanimity.
  7. Mahaparigyan (Great Knowledge): This study is currently fragmented but deals with gaining profound knowledge to renounce Moha-generated defects.
  8. Vimoksha (Liberation): Deals with freeing the soul from karmic bondage and afflictions that bind it.
  9. Upadhana Shrut: Describes key events in Lord Mahavir's life, including his severe austerities and endurance of hardships in the 'Anarya Kshetra' (inhospitable regions).

Key Principles Elaborated:

• The Nature of "Weapons": Physical objects like swords are "material weapons," while negative mental states like attachment, aversion, and harmful intentions are "emotional weapons."
• The Consequences of Violence: Engaging in violence, causing suffering, or approving of it leads to severe karmic consequences and perpetuates the cycle of rebirth.
• The Importance of Knowledge and Renunciation: Understanding the true nature of reality and the causes of karma, followed by renunciation, is central to the path of liberation.
• Living with Equanimity: Ascetics are taught to face all circumstances, pleasant or unpleasant, with an equanimous state of mind.
• The Goal of Liberation: The ultimate aim is to shed all karma and achieve a state of pure, blissful existence, free from suffering and the cycle of birth and death.

In essence, this text serves as a guide for Jain ascetics, laying out a rigorous path of ethical conduct, self-discipline, and spiritual purification, all aimed at achieving ultimate liberation from karma and the cycle of existence.