Śrāvaka

Śrāvaka (Sanskrit) or Sāvaka (Pali) means "hearer" or, more generally, "disciple". This term is used in Buddhism and Jainism. In Jainism, a śrāvaka is any lay Jain so the term śrāvaka has been used for the Jain community itself (for example see Sarak and Sarawagi).

In Buddhism, the term is sometimes reserved for distinguished disciples of the Buddha.

Buddhism

Early Buddhism

In early Buddhism, a śrāvaka or śrāvikā is a disciple who accepts:

Śrāvaka (Jainism)

In Jainism, the word Śrāvaka is used to refer the Jain laity (householder). The word śrāvaka has its roots in the word śrāvana, i.e. the one who listens (the discourses of the saints).

Overview

The tirthankara restores or organises the sangha, a fourfold order of muni (male monastics), aryika (female monastics), śrāvakas (male followers) and śrāvikās (female followers).

In Jainism, two kinds of votaries are there:-

According to Jain text, Puruşārthasiddhyupāya:

Ratnakaranda śrāvakācāra, a major Jain text discusses the conduct of a Śrāvaka in detail.

Six essentials

In Jainism, six essential duties are prescribed for a śrāvaka. These help the laity in achieving the principle of ahimsa which is necessary for his/her spiritual upliftment. The six duties are: