Answer

Jain Dharma teaches control over sexual desires as part of brahmacharya.

For householders, brahmacharya means sexual discipline, self-restraint, and avoiding misuse of sensual pleasure. For monks and nuns, it means complete celibacy in thought, word, and action.

So, from a Jain ethical viewpoint, masturbation is generally understood as an activity connected with sensual attachment and passion, and therefore it is not encouraged.

Explanation

Whether “newer Jains” or modern Jains do it in personal life can vary from person to person. Jain Dharma does not judge people by labels like modern or traditional; it guides everyone toward reducing passions such as:

• lust
• attachment
• craving for pleasure
• loss of self-control

The Jain path encourages awareness, restraint, purity of mind, and gradual spiritual improvement.

Spiritual Understanding

In Jainism, the goal is to reduce kaṣāyas and sensual dependence because they bind karma and keep the soul attached to worldly pleasures.

For a layperson, progress is gradual. If someone struggles with sexual urges, Jain Dharma would encourage:

• self-awareness without hatred toward oneself
• avoiding stimulating thoughts and habits
• practicing prayer, svādhyāya, meditation, and discipline
• slowly strengthening brahmacharya according to one’s capacity

Takeaway

Jain Dharma does not encourage masturbation because it strengthens sensual desire, but it also teaches self-improvement with patience, honesty, and restraint.