First Lesson

O long-lived Jambusvamin! I (Sudharman) have heard the following discourse from the venerable Mahavira: (1)

Here many do not remember whether they have come into this world from the east, or from the south, or from the west, or from the north, or from above, or from below, or from a direction intermediate between these. (2) Similarly, some do not know whether their soul will be called to account; nor what they were before, nor what they will become after having died and left this world. (3) Now this is what one should know, either by one's own knowledge, or through the instruction of the highest (a messenger of God), or having heard it from others: that he has come into this world from one of the directions named above. Similarly, some know that their soul is created by God, that it returns to Him, and that it will be called to account, whatever its state may be. (4) He believes in the soul, believes in the world, believes in recompense, believes in action (acknowledged to be our own doing in such judgments as these: "I did it;" "I caused another to do it;" "I allowed another to do it"). In the world, these are all the causes of sin, which must be understood and renounced. (5) A man who does not understand and renounce the causes of sin goes astray in every direction and is afflicted in manifold ways; he experiences all painful feelings. (6) About this the Revered One has taught the truth: for the sake of the splendour, honour, and glory of this life, for the sake of life, death, and final salvation, for the removal of pain, all these causes of sin are at work, which are to be understood and renounced in this world. He who, in the world, understands and renounces these causes of sin is called a sage who knows the recompense. Thus I say. (7)

Second Lesson

The living world is afflicted, miserable, difficult to instruct, and without discrimination. In this world full of pain, suffering by their different acts, see the heedless cause great pain. (1)

See! there are creatures that live in the earth, each with its own life. See! there are men who control themselves, (whilst others only) pretend to be houseless (that is, monks whose conduct differs not from that of householders), because one destroys the earth by bad and injurious doings, and many other creatures besides, which he hurts by means of earth, through his doing acts relating to earth. (2) About this the Revered One has taught the truth: for the sake of the splendour, honour, and glory of this life, for the sake of life, death, and final salvation, for the removal of pain, man acts sinfully towards the earth, or causes others to act so, or allows others to act so. This deprives him of happiness and perfect wisdom. About this he is informed when he has understood or heard, either from the Revered One or from the devout, the faith to be coveted. (3) There are some who, of a truth, know this (that is, injuring) to be the bondage, the delusion, the death, the hell. For this a man is longing when he destroys the earth by bad, injurious doings, and many other creatures besides, which he hurts by means of earth, through his doing acts relating to earth. Thus I say. (4)

As somebody may cut or strike a blind man (who cannot see the wound), as somebody may cut or strike the foot, the ankle, the knee, the thigh, the hip, the navel, the belly, the flank, the back, the bosom, the heart, the breast, the neck, the arm, the finger, the nail, the eye, the brow, the forehead, the head, as some kill (openly), as some extirpate (secretly), (thus the creatures of the earth are cut, struck, and killed though their feeling is not manifest). (5)

He who injures these does not understand and renounce the sinful acts; he who does not injure these, understands and renounces the sinful acts. Knowing them, a wise man should not act sinfully towards the earth, nor cause others to act so, nor allow others to act so. He who knows these causes of sin relating to the earth, is called a sage who knows the recompense. Thus I say. (6)

Third Lesson

(Thus I say): He who acts rightly, who does pious work, who practises no deceit, is called houseless. (1) One should, conquering the world, persevere in that vigour of faith which one had on entering the path; the heroes of faith, humbly bent, should retain their belief in the illustrious road to final salvation and in the world of the waters; having rightly understood them through the instruction of the messenger, they should retain that which causes no danger (self-control). Thus I say. (2) A man should not himself deny the world of the waters, nor should he deny the self. He who denies the world of the waters, denies the self; and he who denies the self, denies the world of the waters. (3)

See! there are men who control themselves; others pretend only to be houseless; for one destroys the waters by bad, injurious doings, and many other creatures besides, which he hurts by means of water, through his doing acts relating to water. (4) About this the Venerable One has taught the truth: for the sake of the splendour, honour, and glory of this life, for the sake of life, death, and final salvation, for the removal of pain, man acts sinfully towards water, or causes others to act so, or allows others to act so. (5) This deprives him of happiness and perfect wisdom. About this he is informed when he has understood and heard from the Venerable One, or from the devout, the faith to be coveted. There are some who, of a truth, know this (injuring) to be the bondage, the delusion, the death, the hell. For this a man is longing when he destroys the waters by bad and injurious doings, and many other creatures besides, which he hurts by means of water, through his doing acts relating to water. Thus I say. (6)

There are creatures living in water, many lives; of a truth, to the devout, water has been declared to hold living creatures. See! considering the injuries done to them, those acts (which are injuries, but must be done before the use of water, for instance straining) have been distinctly declared. Moreover he who uses water which is not strained takes away what has not been given (the lives of the creatures in the water). (Some will object): "We have permission, we have permission to drink it, or to take it for toilet purposes." Thus they destroy by various injuries the creatures of the waters. But in this their doctrine is of no authority.

He who injures these does not understand and renounce the sinful acts; he who does not injure these, understands and renounces the sinful acts. (7) Knowing them, a wise man should not act sinfully towards water, nor cause others to act so, nor allow others to act so. He who knows these causes of sin relating to water, is called a sage who knows the recompense. Thus I say. (8)

Fourth Lesson

(Thus I say): A man should not, of his own accord, deny the world of fire, nor should he deny the self. He who denies the world of fire, denies the self; and he who denies the self, denies the world of fire. (1) He who knows that fire through which injury is done to the long-living creatures (the plants), knows also that which does no injury (self-control); and he who knows that which does no injury, knows also that through which no injury is done to the long-living creatures. (2) This has been seen by the heroes of faith who conquered ignorance; for they control themselves, always exert themselves, always mind their duty. He who is unmindful of duty, and desirous of the qualities (the pleasure and profit which may be derived from the elements) is called the tormentor of living beings. Knowing this, a wise man resolves: "Now I shall do no more what I used to do wantonly before." (3) See! there are men who control themselves; others pretend only to be houseless; for one destroys by fire through bad and injurious doings, and many other creatures besides, which he hurts by means of fire, through his doing acts relating to fire. About this the Venerable One has taught the truth: for the sake of the splendour, honour, and glory of this life, for the sake of life, death, and final salvation, for the removal of pain, man acts sinfully towards fire, or causes others to act so, or allows others to act so. (4) This deprives him of happiness and perfect wisdom. About this he is informed when he has understood, or heard from the Venerable One or from the devout, the faith to be coveted. There are some who, of a truth, know this (injuring) to be the bondage, the delusion, the death, the hell. For this a man is longing, when he destroys by fire through bad and injurious doings, and many other creatures besides, which he hurts by means of fire, through his doing acts relating to fire. Thus I say. (5)

There are creatures living in the earth, living in grass, living on leaves, living in wood, living in cowdung, living in dust-heaps, jumping creatures which, coming near the fire, fall into it. Some, certainly, touched by fire, shrivel up; those which shrivel up there, lose their sense there; those which lose their sense there, die there. (6)

He who injures these does not understand and renounce the sinful acts; he who does not injure these, understands and renounces the sinful acts. Knowing them, a wise man should not act sinfully towards fire, nor cause others to act so, nor allow others to act so. He who knows the causes of sin relating to fire, is called a sage who knows the recompense. Thus I say. (7)

Fifth Lesson

"I shall not do harm to plants after having entered the path, having recognised the truth about these acts, and having conceived that which is free from danger (self-control)."

He who does no such acts has ceased from evil works; he who has ceased from them is called "houseless." (1) The qualities of the things of this world are a whirlpool, and the whirlpool is these qualities. Looking up, down, aside, eastward, he sees colours, hearing he hears sounds; (2) longing upwards, down, aside, eastward, he becomes attached to colours and sounds. That is called the world; not guarded against it, not obeying the law of God's messengers, relishing the qualities, conducting himself wrongly, he will wantonly live in a house (belong to the world). (3)

See! there are men who control themselves; others pretend only to be houseless, for one destroys plants by bad and injurious doings, and many other creatures besides, which he hurts by means of plants, through his doing acts relating to plants. (4) About this the Venerable One has taught the truth: for the sake of the splendour, honour, and glory of this life, for the sake of life, death, and final salvation, for the removal of pain, man acts sinfully towards plants, or causes others to act so, or allows others to act so. This deprives him of happiness and perfect wisdom. About this he is informed when he has understood, or heard from the Venerable One or from the devout, the faith to be coveted. There are some who, of a truth, know this (injuring) to be the bondage, the delusion, the death, the hell. For this a man is longing when he destroys plants by bad and injurious doings, and many other creatures besides, which he hurts by means of plants, through his doing acts relating to plants. Thus I say. (5)

As the nature of man is to be born and to grow old, so is the nature of plants to be born and to grow old; as man falls sick when cut, so a plant falls sick when cut; as man needs food, so a plant needs food; as man will decay, so a plant will decay; as man is not eternal, so a plant is not eternal; as man takes increment, so a plant takes increment; as man is changing, so a plant is changing. (6) He who injures these does not understand and renounce the sinful acts; he who does not injure these, understands and renounces the sinful acts. Knowing them, a wise man should not act sinfully towards plants, nor cause others to act so, nor allow others to act so. He who knows these causes of sin relating to plants, is called a sage who knows the recompense. Thus I say. (7)

Sixth Lesson

Thus I say: There are creatures called the animate, namely those which are produced 1. from eggs (birds and the like), 2. from a foetus (as elephants and the like), 3. from a foetus with an enveloping membrane (as cows, buffaloes, and the like), 4. from fluids (as worms and the like), 5. from sweat (as bugs, lice, and the like), 6. by coagulation (as locusts, ants, and the like), 7. from sprouts (as butterflies, wagtails, and the like), 8. by direct creation (men and angels). This is the way of the world, for the slow, for the ignorant. Having well considered it, having well looked at it, I say thus: all creatures, those with two, three, four senses, plants, those with five senses, and the rest of creation, experience individually pleasure or displeasure, pain, great terror, and unhappiness. Creatures are filled with alarm from all directions and in all directions. See! there the benighted ones cause great pain. See! there are creatures each individually embodied. (2)

See! there are men who control themselves; others pretend only to be houseless, for one destroys animals by bad and injurious doings, and many other creatures besides, which he hurts by means of animals, through his doing acts relating to animals. (3) About this the Venerable One has taught the truth: for the sake of the splendour, honour, and glory of this life, for the sake of life, death, and final salvation, for the removal of pain, man acts sinfully towards animals, or causes others to act so, or allows others to act so. This deprives him of happiness and perfect wisdom. About this he is informed, when he has understood, or heard from the Venerable One or from the devout, the faith to be coveted. There are some who, of a truth, know this (injuring) to be the bondage, the delusion, the death, the hell. For this a man is longing, when he injures animals by bad and injurious doings, and many other creatures besides, which he hurts by means of animals, through acts relating to animals. Thus I say. (4)

Some slay animals for sacrificial purposes, some kill animals for the sake of their skin, some kill them for the sake of their flesh, some kill them for the sake of their blood; thus for the sake of their heart, their bile, the feathers of their tail, their tail, their big or small horns, their teeth, their tusks, their nails, their sinews, their bones; with a purpose or without a purpose. Some kill animals because they have been wounded by them, or are wounded, or will be wounded. (5)

He who injures these animals does not understand and renounce the sinful acts; he who does not injure these, understands and renounces the sinful acts. Knowing them, a wise man should not act sinfully towards animals, nor cause others to act so, nor allow others to act so. He who knows these causes of sin relating to animals, is called a sage who knows the recompense. Thus I say. (6)

Seventh Lesson

He who is averse from all actions relating to wind, knows affliction. Knowing what is bad, he who knows it with regard to himself, knows it with regard to the world outside; and he who knows it with regard to the world outside, knows it with regard to himself: this reciprocity between himself and others one should mind. Those who are appeased, who are free from passion, do not desire to live (for the sake of this world). (1)

See! there are men who control themselves; others pretend only to be houseless, for one destroys creatures that live in the air by bad and injurious doings, and many other creatures besides, which he hurts by means of wind, through his doing acts relating to wind. (2) About this the Venerable One has taught the truth: for the sake of the splendour, honour, and glory of this life, for the sake of life, death, and final salvation, for the removal of pain, man acts sinfully towards the wind, or causes others to act so, or allows others to act so. This deprives him of happiness and perfect wisdom. About this he is informed when he has understood, or heard from the Venerable One or from the devout, the faith to be coveted. There are some who, of a truth, know this to be the bondage, the delusion, the death, the hell. For this a man is longing when he destroys creatures that live in the air by bad and injurious acts, and many other creatures besides, which he hurts by means of wind, through his doing acts relating to wind. Thus I say. (3)

There are jumping creatures which, coming near the wind, fall into it. Some, certainly, touched by wind, shrivel up; those which shrivel up there, lose their sense there; those which lose their sense there, die there. (4)

He who injures these does not understand and renounce the sinful acts; he who does not injure these, understands and renounces the sinful acts. Knowing them, a wise man should not act sinfully towards wind, nor cause others to act so, nor allow others to act so. He who knows these causes of sin relating to wind, is called a sage who knows the recompense. Thus I say. (5)

Be aware that about this too those are involved in sin who delight not in the right conduct, and, though doing acts, talk about religious discipline, who conducting themselves according to their own will, pursuing sensual pleasures, and engaging in acts, are addicted to worldliness. He who has the true knowledge about all things, will commit no sinful act, nor cause others to do so, and so forth. (6) Knowing them, a wise man should not act sinfully towards the six kinds of creatures, nor cause others to act so, nor allow others to act so. He who knows these causes of sin relating to the six kinds of creatures, is called a sage who knows the recompense. Thus I say. (7)

End of the First Lecture, called Knowledge of the Weapon.