Religious vows
Religious vows are the public
In the Buddhist tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, many different kinds of religious vows are taken by the lay community as well as by the monastic community, as they progress along the path of their practice. In the monastic tradition of all schools of Buddhism, the Vinaya expounds the vows of the fully ordained Nuns and Monks.
In the
Christianity
In the Western Churches
Since the 6th century,
During the 12th and 13th centuries
The "clerks regular" of the 16th century and after, such as the
In the Catholic Church
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In the
Religious vows are of two varieties:
A perpetual vow can be superseded by the pope, when he decides that a man under perpetual vows should become a bishop of the Church. In these cases, the ties to the order the new bishop had are dissolved as if the bishop had never been a member; hence, such a person as Pope Francis, for example, has had no formal ties to his old order for years. However, if the bishop was a member in good standing, he will be regarded, informally, as "one of us", and he will always be welcome in any of the order's houses.
There are other forms of
In the Lutheran Church
In the Anglican Communion
In the Eastern Orthodox Church
Although the taking of vows was not a part of the earliest monastic foundations (the wearing of a particular monastic habit is the earliest recorded manifestation of those who had left the world), vows did come to be accepted as a normal part of the tonsure service in the Christian East. Previously, one would simply find a spiritual father and live under his direction. Once one put on the monastic habit, it was understood that one had made a lifetime commitment to God and would remain steadfast in it to the end. Over time, however, the formal Tonsure and taking of vows was adopted to impress upon the monastic the seriousness of the commitment to the ascetic life he or she was adopting.
The vows taken by Orthodox monks are: Chastity, poverty, obedience, and stability. The vows are administered by the
Jain ethics and five vows
Jainism teaches five ethical duties, which it calls five vows. These are called anuvratas (small vows) for Jain laypersons, and mahavratas (great vows) for Jain mendicants.[7] For both, its moral precepts preface that the Jain has access to a guru (teacher, counsellor), deva (Jina, god), doctrine, and that the individual is free from five offences: doubts about the faith, indecisiveness about the truths of Jainism, sincere desire for Jain teachings, recognition of fellow Jains, and admiration for their spiritual pursuits.[8] Such a person undertakes the following Five vows of Jainism:
- Ahiṃsā, "intentional non-violence" or "noninjury":[8] The first major vow taken by Jains is to cause no harm to other human beings, as well as all living beings (particularly animals).[8] This is the highest ethical duty in Jainism, and it applies not only to one's actions, but demands that one be non-violent in one's speech and thoughts.[9][10]
- Satya, "truth": This vow is to always speak the truth. Neither lie, nor speak what is not true, and do not encourage others or approve anyone who speaks an untruth.[9][7]
- Brahmacharya, "celibacy": Abstinence from sex and sensual pleasures is prescribed for Jain monks and nuns. For laypersons, the vow means chastity, faithfulness to one's partner.[9][7]
Jainism also prescribes seven supplementary vows, including three guņa vratas (merit vows) and four śikşā vratas.[15][16] The Sallekhana (or Santhara) vow is a "religious death" ritual vow observed at the end of life, historically by Jain monks and nuns, but rare in the modern age.[17] In this vow, there is voluntary and gradual reduction of food and liquid intake to end one's life by choice and with dispassion,[18][19] In Jainism this is believed to reduce negative karma that affects a soul's future rebirths.[20]
References
Citations
- ^ "Code of Canon Law: text - IntraText CT". www.intratext.com. Retrieved Apr 23, 2023.
- ^ Chart showing the place of those making religious vows among the People of God
- ^ Rule of St Benedict, ch. 58:17.
- ^ In the Roman Catholic Church, see canons 573, 603 and 654 of the Code of Canon Law 1983; only the Benedictines continue to make the equivalent Benedictine vow.
- ^ "Code of Canon Law: Table of Contents". www.vatican.va. Retrieved Apr 23, 2023.
- ^ CIC, Can. 604 Hisce formis vitae consecratae accedit ordo virginum, quae sanctum propositum emittentes Christum pressius sequendi, ab Episcopo diocesano iuxta probatum ritum liturgicum Deo consecrantur, Christo Dei Filio mystice desponsantur et Ecclesiae servitio dedicantur.
- ^ a b c d von Glasenapp 1925, pp. 228–231.
- ^ a b c d von Glasenapp 1925, p. 228.
- ^ a b c Shah, Pravin K (2011), Five Great Vows (Maha-vratas) of Jainism, Harvard University Literature Center, archived from the original on 31 December 2014, retrieved 7 May 2017
- ^ Vijay K. Jain 2012, p. 33.
- ^ Vijay K. Jain 2012, p. 68.
- ^ von Glasenapp 1925, p. 231.
- ^ Natubhai Shah 2004, p. 112.
- ^ Long 2009, p. 109.
- ^ Vijay K. Jain 2012, p. 87–88.
- ^ Tukol 1976, p. 5.
- ^ Dundas 2002, pp. 179–180.
- ^ Jaini 2000, p. 16.
- ^ Tukol 1976, p. 7.
- ^ Williams 1991, pp. 166–167.
Sources
- ISBN 978-0-415-26605-5
- Jain, Vijay K. (2012), Acharya Amritchandra's Purushartha Siddhyupaya: Realization of the Pure Self, With Hindi and English Translation, ISBN 978-81-903639-4-5,.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain - Jaini, Padmanabh S., ed. (2000), Collected Papers On Jaina Studies (First ed.), Delhi: ISBN 978-81-208-1691-6
- ISBN 978-0-85773-656-7
- ISBN 978-81-208-1938-2
- Tukol, Justice T.K. (1976), Sallekhanā is Not Suicide (1st ed.), Ahmedabad: L.D. Institute of Indology, This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ISBN 978-81-208-1376-2
- Williams, Robert (1991), Jaina Yoga: A Survey of the Mediaeval Śrāvakācāras, ISBN 978-81-208-0775-4
External links
- Taking Monastic Vows Orthodox monks at Valaam Monastery
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