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  • In the sutras, sometimes the words mention men or women when talking about wrong thoughts or actions. But nowadays, some people may feel attraction differently. How should such a person sincerely reflect during Pratikraman?
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    Jain Follower

    In the sutras, sometimes the words mention men or women when talking about wrong thoughts or actions. But nowadays, some people may feel attraction differently. How should such a person sincerely reflect during Pratikraman?

    12 months ago 83

    A Jain’s Pratikraman is about removing rāga–dveṣa (attachment–aversion) and weakening the passion of kāma, not about the gender of the person involved. The sutras sometimes say “man” or “woman” as conventional examples; the vow applies to any being. So your reflection should be universal.

    How to reflect sincerely during Pratikraman

    • In Alochanā (confession): admit any lustful thought, gaze, word, touch, message, viewing, remembering, arranging or act directed toward anyone. Say within: “Whatever lust arose in mind, speech, or body toward any being, knowingly or unknowingly—tassa micchā mi dukkadam.”
    • In Pratikraman: recall the atichārs (minor transgressions) of brahmacharya and repent them whether they were toward the same sex, opposite sex, or any person:
    1) Approaching or allowing approach for sexual pleasure 2) Arranging or facilitating it for oneself or others 3) Looking, listening, speaking, writing, or viewing erotically 4) Touching or self‑indulgence that excites passions 5) Remembering/fantasizing to relish past or imagined acts
    • In Pratyākhyān (resolve): take a clear, doable limit that fits your stage of life and vow:
    - Householder (anuvrata): fidelity and restraint; avoid any misconduct with anyone outside rightful boundaries; avoid stimuli that inflame passions. - Ascetic/vrati: complete celibacy, avoiding every cause of excitation toward any being. Form it neutrally: “From now until … I will avoid any intentional look, talk, touch, media, or memory that arouses lust toward any being.”
    • In Kayotsarga: contemplate the soul as beyond body and gender: “I am pure soul; passions are foreign; I let them drop.”

    Essence preserved

    • What is to be purified is the passion (kāma), not one’s identity. Jain Dharma asks us to weaken the fire of desire in all directions, with Maitrī–Pramod–Karuṇā–Madhyasthā toward every jīva.
    • Both Śvetāmbara and Digambara agree on the substance: brahmacharya means restraint of sexual passion; its atichārs cover any object of desire. Wording may vary by text set, but scope is universal.

    Simple lines you can use

    • “Kāyena vācā manasā ya me rāga udayo jāto kenaci jīvena, tassa micchā mi dukkadam.”
    • “Savve jīvā mittā me; veram majjha na kenai. I drop lust and enmity toward all.”

    Helpful basics to review

    • Pratikraman steps and purpose
    • Icchāmi Thāmi (Pratikraman confession spirit)
    • Atichār overview for vows (useful for self‑check)

    Keep it very gentle: confess universally, repent sincerely, and resolve specific, small restraints you can surely keep. This preserves the traditional intent while applying it truthfully to your own mind today.

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