Article: Aṇuvrat Movement
The Aṇuvrat Movement is a non-sectarian moral movement emphasising character development through self-effort. It was conceived by Ācārya Tulsi (1914–1997), a celebrated monk, the ninth religious leader of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanth sect and a socio-religious reformer. Ācārya Tulsi launched the Aṇuvrat Movement in March 1949 at Sardarshahar, a small Terāpanthi-dominated town in Rajasthan.
Horrified by the detonation of nuclear bombs in Japan in 1945, Ācārya Tulsi established a non-religious organisation to promote peace and improve individual morality. He hoped to encourage Jain values, especially ahiṃsā – non-violence – and to eventually create a more virtuous country through individual behaviour.
Designed to be open to followers of all religions, the Aṇuvrat Movement was built upon the traditional Jain practice of aṇuvrat – lay vows – which evolved from the original teachings of Mahāvīra, the 24th Jina. Ācārya Tulsi modified the traditional aṇuvrat vows to formulate a set of 11 new vows for the Aṇuvrat Movement.
The aim of the movement is self-transformation through one’s own efforts, to help develop a healthy society and, eventually, an ideal nation characterised by peace, social justice and sustainability. The Aṇuvrat movement is founded on the Jain doctrines of:
- ahiṃsā – non-violence
- aparigraha – non-possession
- anekānt – non-absolutism.
The slogan ‘Self-restraint is life’ captures the core philosophical idea behind the movement.
As the Aṇuvrat Movement spread across India, Preksha Meditation and the Science of Living were established to support it. Other sets of vows for certain groups in society, such as students or peasants, and to aid the practice of Aṇuvrat were also created, especially the Aṇuvrat Sādhanā.
Background
The Aṇuvrat Movement was conceived in the mid-20th century, during the important period after World War II, when India gained independence.
Ācārya Tulsi was inspired to create the Aṇuvrat Movement for two principal reasons. Firstly, he wanted to divert humankind from the path of destruction that had led to the nuclear bombings of Japan. He wished to introduce the non-violent Aṇuvrat Movement as an antidote to mass violence. Secondly, he was disillusioned by the selfishness, over-competiveness, over-consumerism and maximisation of profits by wrong means he saw in the newly independent republic of India.
Ācārya Tulsi held that the problems of violence, human rights, poverty and the environment cannot be solved all at once. Instead, he thought that he could use the concept of ‘lesser vows’ for the individual, borrowed from the Jain tradition, to develop a framework for social improvement that is achieved through personal action.
A secular model
Interview with a Muslim Aṇuvratī
Image by Sanjeev Bothra © Sanjeev Bothra
From the beginning, Ācārya Tulsi, along with his core group of monks, designed the Aṇuvrat Movement to be a non-religious organisation open to anyone. The main goal is to purify the soul of the individual, which will eventually produce a more morally upright society.
Ācārya Tulsi took painstaking efforts to be inclusive in his modernisation of Jain principles. He realised that religious teaching alone is not enough and that action is also required. He believed that the idea of vows as action, which has its roots in Jain traditions, could be an effective tool for social change in secular society as well.
The following three factors were central motives for his new model:
- religious diversity within India
- secularism in India
- the philosophy of ‘lesser vows’.
A person from any caste, religion, creed, background or nation could be an Aṇuvratī – a follower of the Aṇuvrat code of conduct. An individual’s personal religious belief or eating habits are not considered an obstacle to following the Aṇuvrat code of conduct.
Thanks to its non-sectarian outlook, the Aṇuvrat Movement is one of the most powerful secular Terāpanth activities. It connects political leaders, thinkers, the media, religious organisations and ordinary people in India.
The prime objective of traditional Aṇuvrat vows, as explained in the 11th-century Śrāvakācāra – Householder’s Conduct – by Ācārya Amitagati, is liberation of the soul – mokṣa. The objective of the Aṇuvrat Movement is purification of the soul. In this way, Tulsian vows were a new approach to generating the spirit of self-restraint among all people.
The Aṇuvrat Movement is a social extension of an ancient spiritual tradition going back to Mahāvīra, the 24th Jina. Through the movement, Ācārya Tulsi was instrumental in taking Jain principles outside the Jain community.
Eleven modified vows
The vows that comprise the Aṇuvrat Movement can be framed within the traditional ‘five fundamental vows’ of the Jain faith. Ācārya Tulsi aimed to make Jain values, and wider moral principles, more relevant to contemporary Indian society.
Vow 1
Examples of types of living beings
Image by British Library © CC0 1.0 (Creative Commons Public Domain)
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Relation to the five ‘fundamental vows’ |
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I will not intentionally kill moving, innocent creatures |
The first vow belongs to the category of ahiṃsā – non-violence or demonstrating great reverence for all living beings. |
Ācārya Tulsi expanded this vow by specifically singling out the issues of suicide and abortion. He was aware that they were topics of greater public debate in modern Indian society than issues related to animals alone, which were key to earlier understandings in a mainly agricultural culture.
Vow 2
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Vow |
Relation to the five ‘fundamental vows’ |
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I will not attack anybody |
The second vow is a commitment to ahiṃsā |
Ācārya Tulsi again acknowledges a widespread modern concern about terrorism and the traumas of war inflicted upon humanity. Tulsi imagined that Jain experiences of taking vows could benefit secular society when combined with a willingness to be consciously aware of how actions, whether of an individual or a whole nation, affect other beings. By taking a vow, an individual redirects his or her energy inwards to fight hatred, jealousy, anger and greed within.
Vow 3
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Vow |
Relation to the five ‘fundamental vows’ |
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I will not take part in violent agitations |
This vow once again falls in the category of ahiṃsā |
This vow reflects another contemporary social concern. Violent protests or revolutions and destructive activities are an expression of emotional disturbance.
Vow 4
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Relation to the five ‘fundamental vows’ |
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I will not discriminate on the basis of caste, colour and so on |
The fourth vow is classed as ahiṃsā, yet also includes part of the category of satya – truth telling |
Ācārya Tulsi poses a question noted in the philosophy of the movement: ‘An evil may be untouchable; dirt or an ailment may be untouchable, but how can a man [or woman] be untouchable?’ (Tulsi and Karnawat 2010: 30). Here he refers to the Dalit or Harijan group in India, also known as the ‘untouchable’ caste. It is outside the traditional Hindu caste system because historically its members do jobs considered ritually impure, such as cleaning toilets or collecting rubbish. Here, instead of ‘Dalit’ Ācārya Tulsi used the word ‘Harijan’, meaning ‘children of God’, which was popularised by Mahātma Gandhi.
Ācārya Tulsi visited Harijan-dominated areas to deliver sermons and encouraged not only his monks and nuns but also the lay community to join him.
Vow 5
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Vow |
Relation to the five ‘fundamental vows’ |
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I will practise religious tolerance |
This vow is linked to ahiṃsā and to the second ‘fundamental’ vow of satya – telling the truth |
This vow is very similar to the fourth vow, but here Tulsi is again modernising by highlighting a specific issue in pluralistic Indian society. This is the violence between followers of various faiths and conflicts within intra-religious groups.
Vow 6
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Vow |
Relation to the five ‘fundamental vows’ |
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I will practise integrity and moral virtues in business and general behaviour |
Like the fourth and fifth vows, this vow combines the categories of ahiṃsā, satya and aparigraha – non-possession |
The sixth vow is meant to restrain people from employing unethical, immoral means to maximise profit.
Ācārya Tulsi’s chief concern here was that business should be upright and honest. An individual who takes this vow would not trade stolen merchandise, use false weights and measures, adulterate their products or replace them with inferior items, fail to pay taxes or take bribes.
Vow 7
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Relation to the five ‘fundamental vows’ |
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I will practise chastity |
This vow is similar to the sixth, but addresses aparigraha more directly |
Therefore, making the seventh vow entails much more than just non-attachment and limiting one’s material possessions.
Vow 8
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Vow |
Relation to the five ‘fundamental vows’ |
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I will not resort to unethical practices in elections |
This vow addresses ethical concerns in the categories of ahiṃsā and satya |
This vow specifically calls attention to the power of politics to effect change. The movement lays down the parameters for a healthy democracy and some of the key pointers for choosing a trustworthy candidate to vote for.
The vow dictates that a worthy candidate should be honest, free from drug addiction, a man of character, efficient and not promote sectarianism (Tulsi and Karnawat 2010: 49).
Vow 9
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Vow |
Relation to the five ‘fundamental vows’ |
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I will not encourage socially evil customs |
This vow is difficult to categorise in the five aṇuvrats because it attempts to focus attention on the potential harmfulness of certain customs and traditions in Indian society |
One example of such customs is that of dowry, in which the family of a bride gives cash or gifts to the family of the groom.
Tulsi encouraged people to examine familiar customs and become aware of potential harm, and to be open to adjusting alien and unfavourable customs when necessary.
