The five vows

The vows

The five are ahimsa, non-harm; satya, truthfulness; asteya, not taking what is not given; brahmacharya, chastity; and aparigraha, non-possession. The first four are attributed to Parshvanatha's order, with Mahavira conventionally credited with separating chastity out as a fifth.

A mendicant takes them as mahavratas, great vows, without qualification: no harm to any being, no falsehood in any circumstance, complete celibacy, and the renunciation of property. A layperson takes them as anuvratas, lesser vows, bounded by the practicalities of household life — harm limited to what livelihood requires, honesty in dealing, fidelity rather than celibacy, and a voluntary ceiling on wealth.

Non-possession

Aparigraha has had consequences beyond the individual. Lay Jains have traditionally set limits on their own accumulation and directed surplus to temple building, manuscript libraries, animal shelters and charitable institutions, which is why a small community left a disproportionate architectural and literary record.

The vow is also internal rather than merely external: what is renounced is attachment, so that wealth held without possessiveness is treated differently from wealth clung to. Critics both within and outside the tradition have noted how much room this leaves, and Jain writers have addressed the objection directly.

Supporting disciplines

The vows are supported by further restraints — three gunavratas limiting movement, consumption and harmful activity, and four shikshavratas prescribing meditation, fasting, restraint and charity — making eleven stages of lay practice, the pratima, by which a layperson may advance progressively towards the mendicant life. The scheme allows the tradition to be demanding without being confined to renouncers.