<P> 5 . Aparigraha (Non-possession) - According to Jain texts, attachment to possessions (parigraha) is of two kinds: attachment to internal possessions (ābhyantara parigraha), and attachment to external possessions (bāhya parigraha). The fourteen internal possessions are: Wrong belief, the three sex - passions (male sex - passion, female sex - passion, and neuter sex - passion), also the six defects (laughter, liking, disliking, sorrow, fear, and disgust), and four passions (anger, pride, deceitfulness, and greed). According to Jain texts, "internal possessions are proved to be hiṃsā as these are just another name for himsā". External possessions are divided into two subclasses, the non-living, and the living . "External possessions, due to the passion of attachment in them, result into himsā ." </P> <P> These five vows are called Mahāvratas (major vows) when observed by an ascetic . Ahimsa is the first and foremost of all vows . Jain monks and nuns must rank among the most "nonviolent" people in the world . A Jain ascetic is expected to uphold the vow of Ahimsa to the highest standard, even at the cost of his own life . The other four major vows--truthfulness, non-stealing, non-possession and celibacy--are in fact extension of the first vow of complete nonviolence . </P> <P> The ascetic practices of total renunciation of worldly affairs and possessions, refusal to stay in a single place for a long time, continuous practice of austerities like fasting etc. are geared towards observance of Ahimsa . The Jain mendicants abide by a rigorous set of rules of conduct, where they must eat, sleep and even walk with full diligence and with an awareness that even walking kills several hundreds of minute beings . Jain ascetics sweep the ground before them to avoid injuring the most minuscule forms of life . They generally brush the ground clear of insects before they tread . Digambara monks do not wear any clothes and eat food only when it is not prepared for themselves . Ascetics of the Śvētāmbara tradition wear a small mask to avoid taking in tiny insects . The observation of three guptis or the controls of mind, speech and body and five samiti are designed to help the monks in observing the vow of Ahimsa faultlessly . A monk is required to cultivate the habit of carefulness (samti), in respect of the following five particulars: - </P> <Ol> <Li> walking, so as not to injure any living being; </Li> <Li> speech, so as not to cause pain to any one by offensive, disagreeable language, or by a careless use of words having a tendency to incite others to violent deeds; </Li> <Li> eating, so as not to cause injury to any living being; </Li> <Li> handling things--the water gourd, books and the feather whisk, with which there is a great danger of injury to small insects; and </Li> <Li> evacuation and disposal of faeces, urine, and the like . </Li> </Ol>

How do jainist monks protect themselves from harming insects