Atonement is known as Prayashcitta. Jains have evolved a formal ritual of atonement, known as Pratikramana. There are several scriptures devoted to Pratikramana, dealing with its practical, spiritual, etiological and ontological aspects.
The Vyavahara Bhasya is one such text that deals with the conduct of monks and especially those who happen to have transgressed their vows. It is a very important work in the Shvetambara tradition.
Some years ago, we had the good fortune of publishing a short Pithika of the Vyavahara Bhasya edited and translated into English by Professor Bollée. The current work is a critically edited English translation of select portions of Acarya Malayagiri's commentary on the Vyavahara Bhasya.
The Vyavahara Sutra is one of the Cheda Sutras, a Jain text based on monastic discipline and how transgressions ought to be atoned for. Scholiasts composed several stories in their commentaries on these texts, in order to break the monotony and illustrate certain points more effectively. |
