Jainism

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Sagefrakrobatik

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i came across a verse in the uttaradhyayana that was remarkably similar to the catholic idea of penance. Specifically the confession of sins to the priest;

According to the 29th lecture one of the topics it touches is a concept known in sanskrit as alokana which translates into confession of sins before the gurus and garha repenting ones sin before the Guru. I tried to find more info on this term on yahoo and Google and was unsuccesfully. The only thing i came across was a book under the same name by a guy named Kannada Geleyara Balaga.
 
Confession is a common practice in the guru-devotee relationship, whether in Buddhism, Hinduism, or Jainism.
 
Maybe when Jesus traveled to the far east :rolleyes: He breathed on his listeners and also gave them the Holy Spirit to forgive and retain sins.

“He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you.
When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost.
Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.”

(John 20:21-23)
 
Buddhist monks and nuns, bhikkus and bhikkuni, confess violations of the monastic rule to the community of monks or nuns at large. The penalty is determined by the type of rule broken.

The monks and nuns are not asking forgiveness of a deity. Rather, they are asking forgiveness from their community. If the violation relates to an action against another monastic, their forgiveness is also sought. The purpose of the confession is to maintain relationships and order in the community and to help the monastics maintain their personal discipline.

Laypeople do not confess.
 
notself said:
Buddhist monks and nuns, bhikkus and bhikkuni, confess violations of the monastic rule to the community of monks or nuns at large. The penalty is determined by the type of rule broken.

The monks and nuns are not asking forgiveness of a deity. Rather, they are asking forgiveness from their community. If the violation relates to an action against another monastic, their forgiveness is also sought. The purpose of the confession is to maintain relationships and order in the community and to help the monastics maintain their personal discipline.

Laypeople do not confess.
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Buddhism in India (before the Muslims extinguished it) was much more monk-centered than was Jainism. That was probably the main reason why Jainism was able to survive the Muslims, because of the greater importance laypersons play in day-to-day Jainism.
 
Ahimsa said:
Buddhism in India (before the Muslims extinguished it) was much more monk-centered than was Jainism. That was probably the main reason why Jainism was able to survive the Muslims, because of the greater importance laypersons play in day-to-day Jainism.
Click to expand...
It was the invasion of the “White Huns” in 500 AD that first weakened Indian Buddhism. The White Huns followed Nestorian Christianity and the religions of Mongolia. The king of these invaders, Mihirakula, destroyed the majority of Buddhist monasteries in northern India, the birth place of the Buddha. The Muslim invasions which started 100 years later, did not completely suppress Buddhism until the 10th Century. During this period, Buddhists refugees traveled to Tibet and China. Buddhism had already been established in Sri Lanka for 1200 years. The Muslims never conquered Sri Lanka.

I agree that the tradition of monastism made Buddhists easy targets. Those orange robes and bald heads tended to make them stand out in a crowd. 😉
 
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