Codes of Conduct In Jain Society

Jainism prescribes two codes of conduct for morality and spiritual development. The higher code is meant for the monks who have renounced the worldly life and are free from social obligations. The lower code is meant for the laity striving for salvation without renouncing the social responsibilities. This latter code provides valuable material for the organization of healthy and prosperous society.

It is divided into twelve vows further classified into three groups. The first group consisting for five vows presents a code for ethical conduct. The second group consisting of three presents a discipline subsidiary to the main ethical code. The remaining group consisting of four vows is meant for refinement or enfoldment of the dormant spiritual qualities.

A vow is graded on the basis of three types of commitments. The three commitments are: i) to do oneself ii) to order and iii) to comment upon a sin committed by someone else. Of each grade there are three instruments i.e. mind, speech and body. Thus there are nine ways of committing a sin and to refrain from all of them by observing vows is possible for a monk only. A householder is advised to refrain from as many of the nine as possible, according to his capacity and inner strength.

Non-violence : According to Jainism life is divided into two broad divisions of stationary beings and moving beings. The former group includes the four elements viz. earth, water, fire and air along with vegetable life; while in the latter are included all the moving animals beginning with Amoeba up to human and divine beings.

The first vow of a householder is related with non-violence. Abstinence from 15 types of acts causing violence is included in it. A householder decided to refrain from deliberately killing all innocent living beings. Here the adverb deliberately and the objective innocent are significant. In case an animal is killed without intention to do so or is killed by way of punishment the vow is not broken. Thus a king is permitted to punish the offender or his enemy. In the war he can attack the fighting men only. To kill innocent women and children is against the code. (In the present atomic warfare uninvolved population in the cities is the main target).

There are five transgressions related with the vow of non-violence concerned with household animals and slaves. These are: -

i) to tie the animal or a slave tightly,
ii) to beat him severely,
iii) to cut his lines or tail,
iv) to load him with heavy burden and
v) to keep him hungry or thirsty.

Truth : The second vow is pertaining to truth. The observer makes a decision not to speak gross untruth, which may harm the listener or the concerned. The untruth is mainly elaborated as follows:

i) The untruth about a girl at the time of betrothal i.e. exaggeration of her merits and concealments of her demerits.
ii) The untruth about cattle at the time of their selling.
iii) The untruth about land.
iv) To embezzle or speak untruth about the trust.
v) False evidence.

The five transgressions of the vows are as follows: -

i) Allegations without proper thought and investigation.
ii) Allegations on person talking secretly.
iii) To disclose private talks held with wife of some other lady.
iv) False instruction or preaching.
v) To forge documents.

Non-stealing : The third vow is related with honesty or abstinence from theft. The gross form of theft is elaborated as follows:

To acquire the wealth of other person-
i) by digging it out from the earth,
ii) by breaking open the lock or by opening it with a key i.e. burglary.
iii) Robbery and,
iv) To take up anything without the permission of the owner when the latter is within the knowledge.

The five transgressions of this vow are as follows: -

i) to accept anything brought by a thief,
ii) to appoint thieves or dacoits for material gains,
iii) to do anything illegal or prohibited by the law of government,
iv) dishonesty in weighing or measuring the commercial commodities,
v) deceiving through imitation.

The above two vows i.e. truth and non-stealing are significant in field of social behavior and business.

Sexual Discipline : The fourth vow is related with sexual discipline. The householder is enjoined to be satisfied with his own wife and at the same time prohibited to have sexual relations with any married woman other than his own wife.

In ancient society women were divided into three categories :

i) One's own wife
ii) The wife of some one else
iii) i.e. unassociated women - prostitutes etc.

The higher morality demanded that a person should confine himself to the first category i.e. to his own wife only, but the lower morality did allow a relation with the common women. Though denounced in the field of religion it was not thought to be anti-social. Any sexual connection with the second category i.e. married women other than one's own wife was considered immoral as well as anti-social. A Jain householder is not permitted to have any relation with such a woman. As far as the third category is concerned he is given a choice but he is advised preferably to abstain from it.

The five transgressions of this vow are as follows :

i) to have sexual relation with the woman engaged for a short period,
ii) unmarried,
iii) to satisfy the sexual desire unnaturally,
iv) to have an intense sex desire,
v) to indulge in the conjugal relation of human beings or animals other than his own family or possessions.

Non-possession : The fifth vow is connected with material possession. The householder is advised to limit his possessions. The five transgressions are as follows :
To transgress the limit of
i) gold, silver, etc. or the wealth in coins, valuable metals and jewels,
ii) immovable property i.e. the land, house etc.,
iii) live wealth of cattle slaves,
iv) food grains and other commodities,
v) ordinary metals other than silver and gold as well as utensils and other articles made of them.

Selflessness : The sixth vow puts a limit on the area of exploitation. A householder is instructed to limit the area of commerce, harvest, industry and other commercial enterprises. This vows serves two-fold purpose. Firstly puts a check on unrestrained material ambitions, which keep the man constantly in a state of unrest. Secondly it avoids mutual conflict in the uncontrolled desire for commercial exploitation and political subjugation, which has led the world to the verge of total annihilation.
This vow has the following transgressions.
To cross the self imposed limits
i) in the space above,
ii) in the space below,
iii) in other directions,
iv) to extend the limits of land possessions and
v) to forget the limit while engaged in exploitation.

Cutting the Daily Requirements : The seventh vow puts a limit on the commodities of daily use. The householder fixes the number of commodities used in food, drink, bath, journey, furniture etc. in this vow the limitation is not on the possessions actually but on their real use for necessity or enjoyment. These commodities are divided into twenty-six categories covering the whole sphere of daily life.

Behaviour and Orderliness : The eighth vow puts a check on the useless efforts amounting to violence. The householder is warned against doing anything violent or causing any inconvenience to others without a passive interest. This purposeless violence is divided in to four categories.

i) committed through depressive or violent thought (i.e. anger),
ii) committed through negligence under intoxication or passions,
iii) to supply weapons or
iv) to give instructions for violence.

The five transgressions are:

i) to indulge in useless movements and facial expressions under sex desire,
ii) to move foolishly hand, feet, eyes or other parts of body without any purpose,
iii) futile and obstinate talks,
iv) disordering furniture or other commodities,
v) to increase unnecessarily the article of daily use.

Thus we see that this vow demands orderliness in household effects and the behaviour expected from a civilized person.

Shikshavratas : The 'Shikshavratas' are the last four vows meant for the discipline for character. They are religious practices for spiritual refinement.

The ninth vow is 'Samayika' i.e. the practice of Samta (equality) in life through the equilibrium of mind, speech and body. The observer decides to refrain from all acts of sin for all limited period. It is five transgressions:-

Wrong application of
i) mind,
ii) speech,
iii) body,
iv) to become unaware of the vow undertaken and
v) fickleness in the observation of the vow.

The tenth and eleventh vows also prescribe a life of seclusion from wordily activities for a period of twenty-four hours. In one of the above two vows fast is prescribed during this period and in the other not. The observer is expected to devote his time in self-analysis and meditation.

The twelfth and the last vow are related with charity. A householder is expected to be hospitable and charitable whenever a guest of good character comes to his door in need.

There is one more vow, which is observed at the approach of death. A Jain is advised to relinquish attachment with all the worldly objects viz. house, wealth, family and even the body itself, when he finds that the latter is unable to do the function for which it is meant. According to Jainism life in itself is not the aim but a means of achieve the same i.e. enfoldment of the sprit. Hence when an aspirant observes that instead of becoming an instrument his body is an impediment, he gives up food and drink and calmly waits for his last moment. This vow also five transgressions :

To have a desire for
i) this world,
ii) next world,
iii) prolongation of life
iv) early death and
v) worldly enjoyments.

He is forbidden to desire anything. He must not cover either life of death. Thus he passes away peacefully with a perfect equilibrium of mind.

There is a religious rite for every Jain known as 'Pratikramana', which is to be observed twice a day. The word Pratikramana means retracing or going back. During it the observer dwells upon his past conduct and express his regret for any transgression of the vow or vows taken by him. As said before, one Pratikramana is observed at the sunset when the conduct of the day is celebrated upon and the other early in the morning when the conduct of the night is taken into account.

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R1991