Muni (Jainism)
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Jain monasticism refers to the order of
monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
s and
nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...
s in the
Jain community The Jains in India are the last direct representatives of the ancient Shramana tradition. People who practice Jainism, an ancient religion of the Indian subcontinent, are collectively referred to as Jains. Sangha Jainism has a fourfold orde ...
and can be divided into two major denominations: the ''
Digambara ''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvētāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing n ...
'' and the ''
Śvētāmbara The Śvētāmbara (; ''śvētapaṭa''; also spelled ''Shwethambara'', ''Svetambar'', ''Shvetambara'' or ''Swetambar'') is one of the two main branches of Jainism, the other being the ''Digambara''. Śvētāmbara means "white-clad", and refers ...
''. The monastic practices of the two major sects vary greatly, but the major principles of both are identical. Five ''mahāvratas'' (Great Vows), from Mahavira's teachings, are followed by all Jain ascetics. Historians believe that a united Jain ''
sangha Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was historically used in a political context t ...
'' (community) existed before 367 BCE, about 160 years after the ''
moksha ''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriology, ...
'' (liberation) of Mahavira. The community then gradually divided into the major denominations.


Terminology

''Digambaras'' use the word ' for male monastics and ''
aryika ''Aryika'', also known as ''Sadhvi'', is a female mendicant (nun) in Jainism. History In the traditional Digambara tradition, a male human being is considered closest to the apex with the potential to achieve liberation, particularly throu ...
'' for female monastics. ''
Digambara monk Digambara Sādhu (also ''muni'', ''sādhu'') is a Sādhu in the Digambar tradition of Jainism, and as such an occupant of the highest limb of the four-fold ''sangha''. They are also called ''Nirgranth'' which means "one without any bonds". Di ...
s'' are also called ''nirgrantha'' (without bonds). ''
Śvētāmbara The Śvētāmbara (; ''śvētapaṭa''; also spelled ''Shwethambara'', ''Svetambar'', ''Shvetambara'' or ''Swetambar'') is one of the two main branches of Jainism, the other being the ''Digambara''. Śvētāmbara means "white-clad", and refers ...
s'' use the word ''sadhvi''s for female monastics.


History

Mahavira Mahavira (Sanskrit: महावीर) also known as Vardhaman, was the 24th ''tirthankara'' (supreme preacher) of Jainism. He was the spiritual successor of the 23rd ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha. Mahavira was born in the early part of the 6t ...
had 11 chief disciples,
Indrabhuti Gautama Gautam Swami was the ''Ganadhara'' (chief disciple) of Mahavira, the 24th and last Jain Tirthankara of present half cycle of time. He is also referred to as Indrabhuti Gautam, Guru Gautam, Gautam Swami Ganadhara and Gautam Swami. Life Gautama ...
being the most senior. Each chief disciple was made responsible for 250 to 500 monks. The
Jain sangha In Jainism, Sangha (Community of the pious) is a term used to refer to the fourfold community of ''Muni'' ( male ascetics), ''Aryika'' / ''Sadhvi'' (female ascetics), ''Śrāvaka'' (laymen), and ''Śrāvikā'' (laywomen). The word is also used i ...
(community) was led and administered by an organised system consisting of ''
acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a tit ...
s'' (leaders), ''
upadhyaya Upadhyaya is a Brahmin name from Sanskrit ''upādhyāya'' "teacher" (from ''upa'' ‘with, under’ + ''adhyāya'' ‘studying’).https://www.ancestry.ca/name-origin?surname=Upadhyay Notable people *Amar Upadhyay, Indian model, film and telev ...
s'' (teachers), ''sthaviras'' (motivators of self-discipline), ''
pravartaka A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach co ...
s'' (preachers) and ''ganis'' (leader of smaller groups of monks). Other titles included ''panyasa'' (canonical text experts), ''mahattara'' (female leader) and ''pravartini'' (female preacher). The leadership of Jain order passed from Mahavira to Indrabhuti, who was succeeded by
Sudharma ''Sudharma'' ( sa, सुधर्मा) is the daily newspaper printed in Sanskrit in India. The paper is published from the city of Mysore in the Indian state of Karnataka. Established in 1970, the paper is mainly distributed via mail, a met ...
(607–506 BCE). After 12 years, it was further passed on to Jambu (543–449 BCE), Prabhava (443–338 BCE) and Shayyambhava (377–315 BCE). Historians believe that a united Jain community existed before 367 BCE, about 160 years after the ''
moksha ''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriology, ...
'' (liberation) of Mahavira. The community then gradually divided into two denominations: the ''Digambara'' and the ''Śvētāmbara''. ''Acharya''
Kundakunda Kundakunda was a Digambara Jain monk and philosopher, who likely lived in the 2nd CE century CE or later. His date of birth is māgha māsa, śukla pakṣa, pañcamī tithi, on the day of Vasant Panchami. He authored many Jain texts such as: ...
is the most revered ''
acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a tit ...
'' (preceptor) of the ''Duḥṣamā'' period of the present ''avasarpiṇī'' (descending) era. The ''
Kalpa Sūtra The ''Kalpa Sūtra'' ( sa, कल्पसूत्र) is a Jain text containing the biographies of the Jain Tirthankaras, notably Parshvanatha and Mahavira. Traditionally ascribed to Bhadrabahu, which would place it in the 4th century BCE, i ...
'' describes Mahavira's asceticism in detail; from it, most of the ascetic practices (including the restraints and regulations) are derived:


Initiation

A ''Śvētāmbara'' initiation involves a procession in which the initiate symbolically disposes of his material wealth and makes donations. This is followed (or preceded) by another ritual in which the initiate receives an ''ogho'' (a small broom made of wool) from their mentor as a symbol of welcome into the monastic order. The initiate then puts on monastic clothing and pluck out hairs by hand. Further rituals formally initiate them into the monastic order. The ''Śvētāmbara Terapanth'' And Sthanakwasi sect requests written permission from a person's parents before initiating them into the ascetic order.


Rules of conduct

The earliest known texts often ask for ascetics to be in complete solitude, identifying the isolation of soul and non-soul. However, soon after Mahavira's
nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
ascetics organized themselves into groups. A few examples of ascetics living in complete solitude are found in the ''Digambara'' sect. Jain ascetics are detached from social and worldly activities; all activities are aimed at self-purification for self-realization. They follow established guidelines for daily worship and austerity. The monk's daily routine is broadly structured by three ideological formulae: the five great vows (''mahavrata''), the eight matrices of doctrine (''pravacana-matrka''), and the six obligatory actions (''avasyaka''). The first two are restrictions, and the third is positively framed in what the monk is encouraged to do daily. Ascetics do not have a home or possessions. They choose austerity, avoid services such as telephones and electricity. Monks engage in activities such as meditation, seeking knowledge and acquiring self-discipline. Jain monks and advanced laypeople avoid eating after sunset, observing a vow of ''ratri-bhojana-tyaga-vrata''. ''Digambara'' monks observe a stricter vow by eating only once a day. The ''
Yati Yati, historically was the general term for a monk or pontiff in Hinduism and Jainism. Jainism In the late medieval period, yati came to represent a stationary monk, who lived in one place rather than wandering as required for a Jain monk. The t ...
'' of the ''Śvētāmbara'' sect and the ''
Bhattaraka A Bhaṭṭāraka ( pka, भट्टारक "holy one") heads traditional Digambara Jain institutions. He is responsible for training scholars, maintenance of libraries, managing endowments, presiding over installation ceremonies and running ...
'' of the Digambara Terapanth do not wander; they usually live in temples and perform daily rituals. The monks rise before dawn, most around 5:00 a.m. but some as early as 2:00 a.m. Five ''mahāvratas'' (Great Vows), from Mahavira's teachings, are followed by all Jain ascetics. Although Jain householders are also required to observe them, ascetics are bound more strictly.Pravin Shah
Five Great Vows (Maha-vratas) of Jainism
Jainism Literature Center, Harvard University Archives (2009)


Ranks

Monks and nuns from the ''Digambara'' traditions are assigned to ranks: In the ''Digambara'' tradition, an ascetic rises from ''kshullak'' (one who uses two pieces of cloth) through ''Ailak'' (uses one piece of cloth) to ''muni'' (or ''sadhu''). Over time a number of designations were mentioned in shastras, such as ''gani'', ''pannyas'' and ''pravartak''. The Śvētāmbara Terapanth sect has a new rank of junior monks, ''samana''.


Attire and possessions

Observing complete abstinence, male Digambara monks wear no clothing. Aryikas wear plain, seamless white
sari A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO * bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO * gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std= ...
s. All Digambara monks and nuns traditionally carry only three things: a ''mor-pichhi'' (peacock-feather whisk), a
kamandalu Kamandalu (Sanskrit: कमण्डलु, ) or kamandal or kamandalam is an oblong water pot, originating from the Indian subcontinent, made of a dry gourd (pumpkin) or coconut shell, metal, wood of the Kamandalataru tree, or from clay, usually ...
(water pot) and
shastra ''Shastra'' (, IAST: , ) is a Sanskrit word that means "precept, rules, manual, compendium, book or treatise" in a general sense.Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on 'zAstra'' The wo ...
s (scriptures). ''Śvētāmbara'' monastics wear white, seamless clothing.


Chaturmas

''Chaturmas'' is the four-month monsoon period during which ascetics stay in one place to reduce the risk of accidentally killing insects and other small forms of life which thrive during the rains. This period is suitable for ''sravakas'' to renew their faith by listening to teachings of the ''
dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...
'', meditation and ''vartas'' (acts of self-control). During ''Chaturmas'', a few ''
sadhu ''Sadhu'' ( sa, साधु, IAST: ' (male), ''sādhvī'' or ''sādhvīne'' (female)), also spelled ''saddhu'', is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. Th ...
'' of each group give a daily ''pravacana'' or ''vyakhyana'' (sermon) attended mostly by shravaka and shravikas (Jain followers). During their eight months of travel, the ''sadhus'' give sermons whenever requested (most often when they arrive in a new village or town in their travels).


Digambara monks

''Digambara'' monks follow 28 ''vratas'' (vows): five ''mahāvratas'' (Great Vows); five ''samitis'' (regulations); the five-fold control of the senses (''pañcendriya nirodha''); six ''Şadāvaśyakas'' (essential duties), and seven ''niyamas'' (restrictions).


See also

*
List of Jain ascetics This is a list of Jain ascetics. The list include the names of ascetics who are known for their contributions to Jain philosophy and Jainism in general. * Indrabhuti Gautama * Bhadrabahu, c. 4th century BCE. Last acharya of undivided Jain sa ...
*
Jain schools and branches Jainism is an Indian religion which is traditionally believed to be propagated by twenty-four spiritual teachers known as ''tirthankara''. Broadly, Jainism is divided into two major schools of thought, Digambara and Svetambara. These are furth ...


References


Citations


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links


List of All Digamber Jain Monks
With detailed description
Photo documentary of the Jain monks
{{Jainism Topics Asceticism
Monasticism Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic life plays an important role ...
Monasticism Titles and occupations in Hinduism