The Doctrine of the Jainas, Described after the Old Sources c10.27

c10.27

§141. Parallel to those mentioned above the spiritual leaders in this sequence range on a descending line according to their rank.³ At the top we have the āyariya who by his person embodies both the teacher and the master (dhamm'-āyariya), though he, too, directs the act of admitting and instructing the disciple or pupil (antevāsī) (Vav. 10, 11f.—Thāṇ. 239b). Moreover he is bound to inspect the objects of the outfit obtained as a present and the alms that have been accepted (K. 1, 39; Dasav. 5, 1, 90; but Nis. 14, 55; 18, 25 says something the like of the gaṇi). The office held by the uvajjhāya consists in his task of instructing in the reading of the teaching's text. Where there is a discrimination being made between the text (sutta) and its deeper meaning (attha), it is the task of the āyariya to instruct in the latter and that of the uvajjhāya to do so in the former, comp. Sthān. 140a. Standing between either we have the āyariya-uvajjhāya (also āyariovajjhāya) by whom the comm.—they might refer to Vav. 4, 11f.—mostly understand (comp. Sthān. 329b; Vy. 232a) two persons, and this may apply to the few cases where the word is in the plur., e.g. Vav. 1, 34. But thanks to what we are told (Vk. 7, 15f; 3, 3-8) there can be no doubt that, apart from being otherwise qualified, the uvajjhāya in order to meet the demands of his position must have been a monk for three years running and hence, on the ground of the syllabus (Vav. 10, 20ff. § 39), must at least command the knowledge of the Āyārapakappa, while the office of an āy.-uv. asks for five years and the suyakhandha Dasā-Kappa-Vavahāra, and that of an āyariya for eight years and the Thāṇa-Samavāya.¹ The K. and Vav. frequently refer to the āy.-uv. (Thāṇ. 444a to both the āy. and the uv.) in connexion with the gaṇavaccheiya whom he precedes in rank since he is allowed either five or seven privileges (aisesā), while the latter may enjoy but two (Vav. 6, 2f.; Thāṇ. 329a; 403b). He himself suggests his successor in office to be promoted (samukkasaṇā) (Vav. 4, 13f.), the appointment is called aṇunnā (Thāṇ. 139a), whereas the monk on his part² may change the āy.-uv. only with the consent of his superiors and by giving the reasons for doing so (K. 4, 21-23). It is a matter of course that by any culpability the qualification for teachership (āyariyattā) is postponed, interrupted or either altogether cancelled (Vav. 3, 9. 13—29; 4, 17; 5, 15f.),³ unless the kula to which the person concerned belongs enjoys an exceptionally good reputation. kula, however, means a school having formed around an outstanding teacher and his followers, and two schools of such kind, when being related with each other, constitute a gaṇa (comm. on Ther. 5). As to the duties of a pavatti the texts fail to provide us with detailed references, though acc. to Ācār. 322 p. this “promotor” is known to deal with matters of practical concern and not with instruction. His female counterpart, the *pavattinī*, acc. to K. 1, 41f. (and 3, 13f.) holds the position of the *āyariya*, acc. to Vav. 5, 1f., 5. f., 13f. (as compared with 4, 1f., 5f., 13f.) that of the *āy.-uvajjhāya*. To rise to the rank of an *uvajjhāya* it takes a nun 30 years and even 60 years before she is able to become an *āy.-uv*. (Vav. 7, 15f.). Acc. to Viy. 375a the *pavattinī* stands parallel to the *thera*. As mentioned before, *thera* (Thāṇ. 516a) or *therī* does not only mean a monk or a nun with a 20 years’ seniority but equally (Vav. 10, 14) any sixty years old believer (*jai-th.*) and anyone knowing both the Thāṇa and the Samavāya (*suya-th.*). The facilitations referred to by Vav. 5, 17f.; 8, 5 doubtlessly apply to older people. With regard to the expression of *thera thera-bhūmi-patta* Vav. 5, 17f.; 8. 5) it appears that the quality as *thera* must be explicitly acknowledged.