Daily Obligations
Jains do not only have rituals, like meditation for example, but obligations that they must fulfil during their lives, even days to ensure that they maintain their status as a loyal Jain. For the Svetambara sect, there are six rules of living called the Avashyakta which people value: (1) Chaturvishnati-stava: praising Tirthankaras, or idols (2) Kayotsarga: meditation (3) Pratikraman: expiration of past sins (4) Pratyaksha: renunciation of anything (5) Samayika: practising serenity and meditation (6) Vandan: respecting teachers and ascetics. On the other hand, the Digambara sect also has six obligations that they live by, which can be similar and different in comparison to the Svetambara obligations. Digambara monks suggested the following duties which are popular and secular: (1) Dana: charity (2) Devapuja: worship of Tirthankaras, idols (3) Guru-upasti: respecting teachers and ascetics (4) Sanyam: controlling self by following different rules (5) Swadhyaya: studying spiritual texts (6) Tapa: austerities. All 12 of these duties shared between the two sects (broken up into multiple smaller sects) became fundamental ritual activities of Jains. |
Common Rituals and Festivals
Additionally, as mentioned before, there are common rituals practiced everyday by Jains. One of the most common rituals of the Jains is samayika, which translates to meditation. It usually lasts for forty-eight minutes and during this time Jains either quietly pray or chant prayers. Pratikraman is another ritual performed by Jains either in the morning for the repentance of violence committed during the night or in the evening for the violence committed during the day. Along with these two practices, fasting and devotional worship are common rituals of Jains. An example of a fasting ritual is the ritual of Sallekhana which entails fasting until death when one's body begins to interfere with spiritual progress. The Jains also have many important festivals and ceremonies that take place. One of the most important festivals for Jains is the Paryushana Parva. Svetambara Jains celebrate this festival for eight-days while Digambara Jains celebrate it for ten days. It is also known as Das Lakshana Parva. this festival highlights repentance and forgiveness. Many Jains fast and carry out different religious activities during this sacred time. The second most important festival to most Jains is the Mahavir Jayanti. In this festival, they celebrate the birthday of one of their most important jinas, Mahavira. Mahavira was born on the thirteenth day of the bright half of the Jain calendar month of Chaitra, probably 599 BCE. It most likely falls around March or April.
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