<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>
how do jainist monks protect themselves from harming insects
brush the ground clear of insects before they tread