The Acharanga Sutra presents the life of a Jain monk as a radical discipline of non‑violence and renunciation, in which every gesture of body, speech, and mind is to be purified. Proper conduct is grounded above all in ahimsa, the resolve to avoid harming any living being, whether large or small. This non‑injury extends to the most ordinary activities: walking slowly and attentively so as not to tread on insects, sitting and lying down with care, and using water, food, and other resources in a way that minimizes disturbance to life. Violence is to be abandoned not only in outward action but also in thought and word, with harsh, deceitful, or frivolous speech carefully restrained. In this way, the monk’s daily movements become a continuous meditation on the sanctity of life.

Alongside non‑violence, the text emphasizes rigorous self‑restraint and the abandonment of worldly ties. Monks are to live without property or wealth, keeping only the most necessary items such as a bowl, simple clothing, or a water pot, and even these are to be held without attachment. Renunciation includes leaving behind household relationships, social status, and personal ambitions, and adopting a mendicant existence that relies on alms, accepted without preference or demand. This discipline is framed through great vows such as non‑violence, truthfulness, non‑stealing, celibacy, and non‑attachment, which together define a life stripped of possessiveness and ego.

The Acharanga Sutra also portrays proper conduct as a path of endurance and inner purification. Monks are expected to bear heat and cold, hunger and thirst, illness, insult, and other hardships with equanimity, seeing such trials as opportunities for spiritual refinement rather than occasions for complaint. Austerities such as fasting, regulated eating, and minimal consumption of food are undertaken within the discipline of the order, always under the guidance of non‑violence. Chastity is to be complete, extending to body, speech, and mind, and the senses are to be guarded from stimuli that might inflame passion or attachment. Through humility, patience, and the willingness to accept criticism without retaliation, the monk gradually loosens the grip of pride and anger.

Finally, the Sutra calls for constant mindfulness and careful relationship with others. Monks are to be ever vigilant (apramatta), watching over their mental states and guarding against anger, greed, deceit, and pride, while engaging in meditation and reflection on the workings of karma. Their dealings with lay followers are to be marked by non‑exploitation and non‑dependence: accepting alms without hinting or insisting, and avoiding any imposition on householders. By uniting meticulous external discipline with inner watchfulness, the Acharanga Sutra portrays the ideal monk as one who moves through the world lightly, causing the least possible harm while steadily advancing toward liberation.