Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies - DUBOIS, Abbé Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies, Dubois | Page 737

DIRECTIONS FOR CONDUCT
the open on the bare ground.
697
Though absolutely naked
he is insensible to cold and heat, wind and
Neither is he subject to sickness or any bodily infir-
rain.
He feels the most profound contempt for all other
mities.
men, no matter how exalted their rank may be. and he takes
no account of their doings, good or bad. He speaks to no
His feelings,
one, looks at no one, and is visited by no one.
his affections, and his thoughts are immutably fixed on the
Godhead, of whom he considers himself as already a part.
He remains absorbed in the contemplation of God's perfec-
tions, all earthly objects being to him as though they did not
from head to
foot,
exist.
By a long course of penance and meditation the material
part of the Nirvani gradually dissolves, like camphor when
At last all that remains of the penitent
it is put in the fire.
is the semblance or shadow of a body, an immaterial phan-
tom, so to say. Having arrived at this pitch of perfection,
the Nirvani quits this lower world and proceeds to unite
himself inseparably with the Godhead, where he enjoys
eternal and ineffable happiness.
Jain Rules of Conduct.
In many respects Jain rules of conduct are similar to
those followed by other Hindus, and particularly the
Brahmins. The Jains recognize the same observances with
regard to defilement and purity. They perform the same
Most
ablutions and recite the same prescribed mantrams.
of their ceremonies relating to marriage, funerals, &c, are
the same. In fact, all the rules of social etiquette and the
general customs in use in ordinary life form part of their
education.
The Jains differ from their comj3atriots in several par-
ticulars, of which the following are the most remarkable
:
Under no circumstances do they take any
between sunset and sunrise. They always take
while the sun
is
food
their meals
solid
above the horizon.
They have no litis or anniversaries in honour of the dead.
As soon as one of them is dead and his funeral is over, they
put him out of their memories and speak of him no more.
They never put ashes on their foreheads, as do most Hindus;