Śrāvaka (Jainism)
Jain laity / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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In Jainism, the word Śrāvaka or Sāvaga (from Jain Prakrit) is used to refer to the Jain laity (householders).[1][2] The word śrāvaka has its roots in the word śrāvana, i.e. the one who listens (to the discourses of the saints).[1]
The tirthankara restores or organises the sangha, a fourfold order of muni (male monastics), aryika (female monastics), śrāvakas (male followers) and śrāvikās (female followers).[3]
In Jainism, there are two kinds of votaries:
- The householder (one with minor vows)
- The homeless ascetic (one with major vows).
According to the Jain text Puruşārthasiddhyupāya:
Ascetics who establish themselves in pure and absolute consciousness observe complete abstinence. Those who practice the path of partial abstinence are called Śrāvaka.
— Puruşārthasiddhyupāya (41)[4]
Ratnakaranda śrāvakācāra, a major Jain text, discusses the conduct of a Śrāvaka in detail.