Acaranga Sutra
Ayaranga Sutta
Nonviolence (ahimsa) must be extended to every living being down to the smallest, invisible organisms, and a monk's entire conduct, down to how he walks, eats, and speaks, must be governed by the discipline of causing the least possible harm.
- radical extension of nonviolence to all living beings, including plants and elements
- monastic conduct codified down to walking, eating, and speech
- biography of Mahavira's ascetic practice as a model
- oral transmission for centuries before council redaction
The oldest surviving text of the Shvetambara Jain canon, presenting the code of conduct for Jain monks alongside an account of Mahavira's own extreme ascetic practice. Its first book systematically extends nonviolence to plants, water, fire, and air, treating them as inhabited by souls (jiva), grounding Jain dietary and occupational restrictions. Transmitted orally for centuries after Mahavira's death, its teachings were reportedly collected at a council in Pataliputra around the 3rd century BC, but the text as it survives today derives from a later redaction, when the Shvetambara canon was committed to writing under Devarddhigani at a council in Valabhi in the 5th century AD, so the received wording reflects that final fixing rather than the earlier oral compilation alone.
Commentary
Readers' notes on this work. No account needed - be scholarly, or at least civil.
Loading commentary…