Jain monks practice restraint in thought, speech and bodily movements. Such regulations are termed Gupti in Jainism. The aim of Gupti in Jain religion is the control of the inner nature of Jiva. They are three fold in nature:
- Manogupti
- Vacangupti
- Kayagupti
Manogupti refers to control of the mind so that in concentration it takes on a particular direction. One should maintain equanimity of mind and this is to be achieved by introspection.
Vacangupti refers to the control of speech, which can be controlled in two ways. One can take up the vow of silence for a certain period, or guard one’s speech so that it is brief in nature.
Kayagupti refers to the control of the physical organism in accordance with various rules and regulations laid down in the Jain scriptures.
It is the action of body, speech and mind that produce subtle karma which cause bondage to the jiva. For breaking the cycle of karma, the jiva is required to take up different types of ethical regulations. These include the different kinds of samiti-s (carefulness), gupti-s (restraint), yati-dharma (observance), bhavana-s (reflections), pariksha-s (overcoming troubles) and caritra (conduct).