This article takes a look at the lives of Jain nuns and monks, and temple worship for Jains.
Monks, nuns and temple worship
Last updated 2009-09-14
Laity, monks and temple worship
Temple worship is of more importance to lay Jains than to Jain monks and nuns.
Many lay Jains focus their everyday religious life more strongly on devotional activities and temple worship, than on strictly following the Jain vows, probably because it is a great deal easier to go to the temple than to follow the Jain code strictly.
Although monks and nuns are often involved in temple life - particularly as teachers - they do not run temples in the way that the priests of other religions do. Some Jain communities (Sthanakavasis and Terapanthis in particular) are opposed to temple worship.
Svetambara monks wear thin white robes ©
Priests in temples
Svetambara Jain temples may have priests, but these are unlike the priests of many other religions in that they are only there to help with the rituals, and don't have the special status in the eyes of divine beings that some religions give their priests.
Some Jain temples give the task of helping with ceremonies to low grade ritual assistants called pujaris. Pujaris are rarely Jains themselves.
Monks and nuns in the Jain sects
Each of the two main Jain sects has their own monks and nuns.
Svetambara monks wear thin white robes while the Digambara monks reject any form of clothing whatsoever and live naked, or 'sky clad'. Nuns of both sects are clothed.
The life of a nun or monk
Jain monks and nuns should live the simplest and most austere lives, as this prescription of the qualities of a monk shows.
An individual who is devoid of possessiveness, who is free from deluding attachment towards self, family and relatives, who braves external suffering caused by environment, who has control over passions such as anger, and who does not indulge in any undesirable activities including household chores, rightfully advances on the path to liberation.
Lay Jains and ascetics
Jain lay people will show their monks and nuns great respect and veneration, inviting them to give teachings and confessing their faults before them.
Monks and nuns depend on charity and are permitted to seek their food. Lay Jains regard it as a duty to provide food and other necessities of life for monks and nuns, but monks and nuns will only accept food that has not been specially prepared for them.
Digambara monks
Monks of this sect reject all worldly possessions in order to live a totally ascetic life.
Because they are allowed no possessions whatsoever they live without clothes and go "skyclad", which means naked. (Digambara nuns wear simple white clothes.)
Digambara monks reject all worldly possessions ©
Their nakedness is also a statement that they are beyond feelings such as modesty and shame.
But nakedness is not enough - it has to be nakedness for the right purpose and with the right attitude. Acharya Kundkund wrote:
A naked monk who is devoid of the spirit of the teachings of Jin remains submerged in the ocean of worldly pain and he does not achieve right knowledge.
'O monk! What is the purpose of remaining naked (or clad) if you indulge in malicious behaviour, laughter, jealousy, delusion and untamed desires. Being full of blemish, you deserve disgrace.'
Acharya Kundkund
Digambara monks live on the charity of others, but since they are not allowed even to own a bowl, they receive contributions in their cupped hands.
The religious life
There are great differences in the way of life of Digambara and Svetambara mendicants.
But in general, Jain monks and nuns live a hard life, with no or few worldly possessions. Although they are separated from their birth family they regard the whole world as their family.
They live in small groups of five or six, not in big monastic communities, and spend their day in meditation and study. The senior monk of the group will teach each morning to an audience of monks, nuns and lay people.
The monks depend on food that is given to them by local people, but only eat between sunrise and sunset.
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