#graded-obligation

¶ Monks take the great vows, I take the small ones: is a graded ethic a cop-out?

Jain ethics has five vows: non-harm, truthfulness, not stealing, sexual restraint and non-possession. Monks and nuns take them as the great vows, absolutely. Laypeople like me take them as the small vows, in a limited form suited to a householder's life. So…