The Jain Monk

The Jain Monk, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

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Jain Muni or simply Muni is the term often used for Jain monks[1].

A Jain monk does not have a permanent home and does not have any possessions. He wanders barefoot from place to place except for the four months of the rainy season. A Jain monk is not a priest; rather he is himself a worshipped one.

A full Jain monk in either Svetambar or Digambar tradition[2] can belong to one of these ranks:

* Acharya: leader of the order
* Upadhyaya: a learned monk, who both teaches and studies himself
* Muni: an ordinary monk

These three are mentioned is the three lines of the Namokar Mantra.

In the Digambar tradition, a junior monk can be a:

* Ailak: they use one piece of cloth
* Kshullak: they may use two pieces of cloth

White-clothed Acharya Kalaka

The Svetambar Terapanthi sect has a new rank of junior monks who are called samana.

The nuns are called Aryikas in Digambar tradition and Sadhvi in the Svetambar tradition.

Courtesy Wikipedia


This is the first Jain Monk I have shot I ran after him I asked his permission to shoot him but he was in a rush towards the Jain Mandir at Bandra..Jain Mandir Road..

the jain monk
rushes
towards a
a path of peace
renouncing
the material
comforts
of life
spiritually
at ease
his body
his soul
the ultimate
release
his sufferings
his hardships
immaterial
the message
lord mahaveera
within him
he carries
trying to
alleviate
the pain
of the poor
around him
he sees
humility
essence
of the
jain muni