Dialogues that led to the Unification of Jaina Church – Section 1: Between Kesi and Gautama

Summary

This section retells a legend from the Uttarādhyayana Sūtra describing how two disciples—Kesi, representing the four‑vow tradition of the earlier Tīrthaṅkara Pārśva, and Gautama, representing Mahavira’s five‑vow tradition—met and reconciled their schools. Kesi, endowed with scriptural and clairvoyant knowledge, and Gautama, famed for his mastery of the twelve aṅgas, both resided near Śrāvastīfile:///home/oai/share/jain_journal_1987_04_520086_hr6_ocred.pdf#:~:text=1,i%20%C2%A5%20i%20%E2%80%99%20%E0%AA%97%E0%AA%B9. Their pupils pondered whether the four or five vows were correct and why one school forbade clothes while the other allowed simple garmentsfile:///home/oai/share/jain_journal_1987_04_520086_hr6_ocred.pdf#:~:text=our%20conduct%20and%20doctrines%20right%2C,apdrigraha. Respecting Kesi’s seniority, Gautama visited him. The two discussed differences in doctrine, including the enumeration of vows and the proper conduct for monks and lay followers. Through reasoned debate Kesi realised that Mahavira’s fifth vow of celibacy was implicit in Pārśva’s teachings and that the apparent divergences were matters of emphasis rather than substance. He adopted the five‑vow creed proclaimed by the last Tīrthaṅkara and urged his disciples to do likewisefile:///home/oai/share/jain_journal_1987_04_520086_hr6_ocred.pdf#:~:text=the%20stream%20of%20existence,importance%20were%20settled.%20%2888. The meeting ended with mutual praise; the assembly recognised that knowledge and conduct were exalted and that both teachers sought the same spiritual goal. The narrative explains that this unification preceded later sectarian divisions between Śvetāmbara and Digambara and highlights the capacity of dialogue to resolve doctrinal differences within Jainism.