Know More About Karma
In this chapter we
shall discuss answers to some questions that usually come up
regarding the theory of Karma.
Q.1: Do you mean to
say that whatever situation we may be in, it is the result of our
previous Karmas and that we can’t do anything about it and we
can’t change it anyway?
In any present
situation or circumstances, we may feel happy or unhappy. This
feeling is due to the result of our past Karma. The happiness is due
to past Punya Karma and unhappy feeling is due to past Päp
Karma. However our present feeling behind our action constitutes new
Karma and that too is going to have its effects in future. Suppose,
we are not financially well off. We may undertake a new business
activity or find a better paying job. Undertaking any activities
with a desire of accomplishment constitutes new Karma. The new
undertaking may turn out to be useful in improving our financial
condition. In that case we have effectively changed the given
situation and the result of the new Karma produces happiness within
our self. However we have no knowledge of which Karma would exert
its effects and at what time. Some Karmas give an instant effect and
some after a long time or even after many births.
Q.2: Can you shed
some light on destiny (Prärabdha) vs. effort
(Purushärtha) in light of the theory of Karma?
Karmas can be divided
into three categories.
These Karmas are not
currently operative. They are like certificates of deposit. However,
we know when our C.D. is going to mature but we never know when
Sanchit Karmas are going to mature.
We are currently
acquiring these Karmas. They can give effects immediately or later
on.
The consequences of
these Karmas are currently destined for us. They therefore
constitute our destiny (Prärabdha).
Operative (Uday)
Karmas thus constitute destiny (Prärabdha) and
present (Vartamän) Karmas constitute effort
(Purushärtha). By effort we are in a position to change
our destiny, if our present (Vartamän) Karmas are
going to be instantly fruitful. We can however never be sure of
their instant fruitfulness. That is why our every endeavor does not
necessarily succeed. Thus destiny and efforts are not at odds with
each other. Rather, they are two sides of the same coin.
Q.3: The soul is
conscious and Karmas are lifeless. How can lifeless matter modify
the property of the soul, which is supposed to be pure, enlightened,
and full of bliss?
There is no rule that a
lifeless matter cannot influence conscious soul. We experience
different types of sensations because we are alive. A dead body does
not feel any sensation.
It means that
sensations are experienced on account of the existence of soul or
consciousness. The sensations are however not felt while a patient
is under the influence of anesthetic drugs. If lifeless drugs can
thus affect the sensations of a live being, there is no reason to
think that lifeless Karma cannot affect the property of the soul. As
the bodily sensations revive when they are no longer under the
influence of drugs, the soul also can attain self realization when it
is no longer subjected to the bondage of Karmas.
Q.4: Karmas are
lifeless and hence unconscious. How can they be conscious enough to
bear specific fruits appropriate to that type of Karma?
Karmas do not have to
be conscious of bearing fruits. It is their property that
automatically works. If a person consumes poison, the result would
be death. For this purpose, poison is not conscious of killing him.
It is the inherent property of poison that works. Similarly
different types of Karmas have their own respective properties that
become effective in their own ways.
Q.5: If purity,
enlightenment, bliss etc. are the properties of the soul, when did
it initially get polluted with Karma?
Worldly soul has been
smeared with Karma since time without beginning. It has never been
devoid of Karma. Therefore, the question of the soul’s initial
bondage with Karma does not arise.
Q.6: If the soul has
been associated with Karma since the time without beginning, there
can never be an end to it. As such the soul can never be devoid of
Karma. Then why worry about it?
Though the bondage of
Karma is without beginning, it is not the same bondage throughout
time. Every Karma has a time limit during which its consequences
have to be borne and that Karma sheds off at the end of that time.
Meanwhile the soul indulges in new Karma and thereby gets new
bondage. If the soul does not indulge in new Karma, it can be devoid
of Karma when the consequences of previous Karmas are fully borne and
the soul gets disassociated from them. In religious terminology this
disassociation is called Nirjarä.
Page 1
Punya (Good Deeds)
Why are some people in
more desirable situations than the others? Why are some rich while
others struggle? Why do some suffer more sickness than others? The
answer to such a disparity lies in the understanding of the Punya and
the Päp. What are the Punya and the Päp? Punya and Päp
are the categories of Karma. Punya karma is earned when our
activities are good and comforting to others while a Päp karma
is earned when our activities are bad and cause suffering to others.
When the Punya karmas mature or give result, they bring happiness and
comfort, and when the Päp karmas mature or give results, they
bring nothing but suffering and miseries.
Now, it is obvious that
what we experience is nothing other than the result of our past
actions. Knowing this reminds us that our activities should be
wholesome if we want happiness and comfort in life, otherwise we
should be ready to suffer unhappiness and discomfort. When talking
about activities, people mostly think of physical activities, but we
should not forget that verbal expressions, and mental thoughts are
also considered activities. For this reason, not only our physical
activities have to be pious or wholesome, but our speech and thoughts
should also be pure. We should remember that we also accumulate
Punya and Päp (karmas) by asking someone else to do something
good or bad or by encouraging someone else to do good or bad.
Lord Mahävir’s
message is “Live and let live”. Everybody desires to
live and enjoy the comforts of life. We should not come in the way
of anyone else seeking the same. If we properly understand the
implications of this message, it will go a long way in molding our
attitude towards other living beings. But, around us we see and hear
that many people hunt or fish and they eat meat, chicken, fish, eggs,
etc. Some meat-eating people argue that they do not actually kill
animals or they say these creatures were created for our food.
Therefore, eating meat or other animal foods would not affect them.
They do not realize that by eating meat or other animal foods they
are directly or indirectly instrumental in killing animals, birds,
fish, etc., The more they eat, the more killing there will be. They
do not realize that their direct as well as indirect actions bring
Päp or Punya. Unfortunately, because most Päps do not show
their results immediately, the people do not care about the
consequences.
We also hear about
riots in, which people plunder, hit, and kill others and set fire to
shops, homes, and buildings. By doing so, they put a lot of people
through suffering. These people while doing such heinous activities
may think that they are getting even; however, they fail to realize
that by causing suffering to others they themselves will have to
suffer the consequences of their evil acts at some point, in this
life, or future lives.
Consequently, our
actions should not disturb the comforts of other living beings, hurt
or kill them in any way, directly or indirectly. By providing
comfort and security to others, we gain Punya. Punya brings
happiness during this life or following lives. On the other hand, if
we cause suffering or unhappiness to others, we acquire Päp.
Päp brings unhappiness in this or future lives. Let us
understand from the following story how we accumulate the Punya and
the Päp.
Story
of Shälibhadra
A long time ago, a poor
widow had a young son. She had to work hard to provide for herself
and her son. Once, there was a day of a great festival and
neighboring families prepared a tasteful pudding of milk and rice
called kheer. The neighborhood kids were enjoying the kheer, and
seeing this the poor boy went to his mother and asked her to make
kheer for him too. He did not realize that his mother did not have
enough money to buy the milk, rice, and sugar needed for making
kheer. The mother tried to explain the situation, but the boy
started crying for kheer.
The mother could not
tolerate his crying, so she said, “Don’t cry, my son, I
will make kheer for you.” She went to the neighbors and
borrowed milk, sugar and rice and made kheer. She served the kheer
in an earthen plate, and told him to wait until it had cooled down a
little. Then she left to get the water from the well.
While the boy waited
for kheer to cool, a monk came to the boy’s home for alms (to
get food). The boy was very happy to have this opportunity to offer
alms to the monk and invited him come in. While he was serving the
kheer, he decided to serve all the kheer to the monk with joy. After
the monk left, he ate whatever kheer was stuck to the plate and the
pot. He did not regret for his action but instead felt very happy
that he could offer the food to the monk. Since he had offered the
kheer to the monk willingly, he earned a lot of Punya. As a result
of this Punya, in his next life he was born into a very wealthy
family with all luxuries. His name was Shälibhadra.
Shälibhadra later in life realized what life is all about. He
renounced the luxuries of life, and uplifted his soul by becoming a
monk of Lord Mahävir.
Story
of a Butcher and King Shrenik
There lived a butcher
in Magadh City. He enjoyed his job. One day, King Shrenik requested
that there would be no more killing in the city. All slaughterhouses
and the killing of animals in the city stopped at the request of king
but the butcher continued killing the animals. When he was asked why
he did not follow King Shrenik’s request, he said he loved his
job of killing and could not stop. King Shrenik decided to put him
in a dry well so that there would be nothing for him to kill. To
everyone’s surprise, the killing did not stop there either.
The butcher made animals from wet clay and then pretended to kill
them. Since, he enjoyed killing so much, he accumulated Päp
(bad karmas) that gave rise to a situation where he has to suffer
again in his next life.
From these two stories,
we learn that if we want happiness and comfort, we should offer
comfort to others. As the saying goes you reap what you sow.
List
of Good and Bad Deeds:
The following is a list
of some activities that can bring comfort to others and can
ultimately provide the same for us. They are:
Offering food to the
needy (only vegetarian food)
Offering clothes to
the needy
Helping the sick
Helping others to
acquire knowledge
Giving charity (be
sure that the money is used for a good cause)
Helping parents,
brothers, sisters, grandparents, monks, and religious teachers
Helping animals or
organizations that help animals
Studying religious
scriptures and following its precepts in our daily lives
Worshipping
Tirthankars like Lord Mahävir.
Here is a list of some
of the activities that can cause discomfort to others and can
ultimately cause discomfort to us. They are:
Being cruel or violent
to others including humans, animals, birds, bugs, etc.
Showing disrespect to
parents, teachers or others
Speaking harsh words
or planning violence
Not following the
religious principles in the daily life
Being angry or greedy
Being arrogant
Being deceptive.
Someone has rightly
said that:
Sow a good thought
and reap a good action
Sow a good action
and reap a good habit
Sow a good habit and
reap a good character
Sow a good character
and reap a good destiny.
Our life is nothing but
full of habits and we are free to cultivate our own good habits.
Page 2
Päp (Sources of
sins)
We are always busy
doing something good that may be helping others or being bad and
causing trouble to others. When we help someone, not only does it
bring comfort to that person, but it also brings us comfort by Punya.
But when we cause trouble for others, it causes us to suffer too due
to Päp (sins). The kinds of activities that cause others to
suffer are called sinful activities and they can range in various
levels from simply telling a tale to actual killing. Jain scriptures
describe eighteen kinds of such activities, which are considered the
sources of the sins that lead to bad deeds or Päp. These Päp
cause troubles in our current live as well as future lives.
Therefore, we should be careful not to carry out any of the following
18 sinful activities, which are interconnected with one another.
Eighteen
Sinful Activities:
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01
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Pränätipät
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Violence
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02
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Mrushäväda
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Untruth
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03
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Adattädäna
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Theft
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04
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Maithuna
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Unchaste
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05
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Parigraha
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Possessiveness
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06
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Krodha
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Anger
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07
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Mäna
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Arrogance
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08
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Mäyä
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Deceit
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09
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Lobha
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Greed
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10
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Räga
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Attachment
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11
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Dvesha
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Hatred
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12
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Kalah
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Quarreling
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13
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Abhyäkhyäna
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Accusation
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14
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Paishunya
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Gossip
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15
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Parpariväda
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Criticism
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16
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Rati-Arati
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Liking
and disliking
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17
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Mäyä-Mrushäväda
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Malice
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18
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Mithyä-Darshan-Shalya
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Wrong
beliefs
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01.
Pränätipät (Violence):
This word is formed by
two words. 1) Präna means vitalities of a living being, and 2)
Atipäta means to kill or to hurt. Therefore, Pränätipät
means to cause suffering or kill any of the vitalities of living
beings. This is caused by our physical activities as well as by our
harsh words or even by our thoughts. Everybody agrees and
understands that physical violence is wrong. Non-vegetarian people
do not realize that by eating eggs, chicken, poultry products, fish,
seafood, or flesh they cause violence. Hunting or fishing games also
cause violence. Name calling and offensive, hateful, bitter or harsh
words or sentences cause verbal violence.
Example of mental or
verbal violence:
Ramesh is a tall and
heavy guy and Anil is a skinny guy. Anil wanted to beat Ramesh for
some reason but he cannot beat him physically. So, Anil thinks that
he will become a friend of some bully and ask him for help. He also
thinks about various other ways to beat Ramesh. During all these
thoughts process, even though he does not undertake any physical
action, his feelings were to hurt Ramesh so he gets sins (Päp)
as if he was hurting Ramesh. Thus mental thoughts affect us the same
way as physical or verbal expressions. Thinking is tremendously
faster, easier, and has no inhibition factors like actual physical or
verbal activity and hence it increases the potential for accumulation
of Päp (or even Punya due to good thoughts) much faster and
easier.
Some other forms of
violence are piercing, crushing, binding, torturing, and overloading
animals; starving or not feeding them at proper times, and exploiting
laborers. Cosmetics, ivory, silk clothes, or leather articles
involve the direct or indirect injury to animals and are reasons for
accumulation of sins. One should be careful even while walking,
running, or sitting that one does not step on small insects like ants
and tiny bugs. We should be careful not to walk on plants or grass
because they have life. Taking such care is called “Jatanä”
“Upayoga” in Jainism. Therefore, we should be very
careful and live a simple peaceful life. This leads one to be
compassionate and tolerant of others.
02.
Mrushäväda:
It is formed of two
words. 1) Mrushä means lie, and 2) Väda means to tell or
speak. So Mrushäväda means to tell a lie. Common reasons
to speak a lie are anger, greed, fear, and deception. Some other
kinds of lies are spreading rumors, revealing secrets, writing false
documents, or not returning to someone things that were given for
safekeeping. Besides accumulating Päp, by lying we lose our
friends. Therefore, we should not tell lies.
03.
Adattädäna:
It is formed of two
words. 1) Adatta means without permission and 2) Ädäna
means to take. To take something without permission of the owner or
to steal is known as Adattädäna. To acquire something,
which does not belong to us by adopting wrong, means is also
considered stealing. Even if we do not steal directly, but ask or
encourage someone else to do so, or receive or buy stolen property,
evade taxes, adulterate, keep false weights and measures to deceive
people, indulge in smuggling activities, it is considered stealing.
Once, we start doing such things, there will be no limit as to how
far we would go. Moreover, this habit will bring calamity to other
family members as well. Therefore, we should not steal.
04.
Maithuna:
Maithuna means being
unchaste or engaging in sensuous enjoyment. This occurs when we
enter in improper sexual activities. In Jainism, there is no place
for pre or extra marital sexual relationship because excessive
sensual desire brings bad karmas. Even within the bounds of
marriage, it is advised to observe restraint. Unnatural
gratification, indulging in profuse speech, or excessive passion even
for one’s own spouse is considered unchaste. A person who
suffers from high desire for lust and sensual pleasures cannot resist
temptations and thus indulges in immoral deeds. If there is a
control over the urge for material gratification, sexual desire can
be restrained.
05.
Parigraha:
Attachment to worldly
possessions is known as ‘Parigraha’. Unlimited
possessions and hoarding things beyond a person’s basic needs
is considered a sin. This occurs when we try to accumulate more than
our needs. We should learn to live happily with what our needs are
rather than accumulating more just because we like those things.
This is easy to say, but rather hard to follow. We should remember
that unnecessary accumulation is the root cause of all unrest and
keeps our craving alive for more possessions. Therefore, we should
be content and should learn to control our desires.
06.
Krodha:
It means anger.
Whenever we do not get what we want, we get upset and mad, and
depending upon the situation either we throw things, use harsh words
or have negative thoughts. When a person is angry, he cannot
distinguish between right and wrong or good and bad. To overcome
this anger, we should develop tolerance. This way, we can stay calm
even if things do not look quite right. If we can achieve that,
there will be no place for quarrels around us and we will be able to
live peacefully. One should replace anger with forbearance and
tolerance.
07.
Mäna:
It means the ego.
Egoism, pride, arrogance, self-admiration, and conceit are all
synonymous. The ego means thinking too much of the self. Due to the
ego, we tend to look down upon others. Ego can be overcome by
cultivating a sense of humbleness.
08.
Mäyä:
It means to deceive,
cheat, or mislead. Deceit, cunning, and Mäyä are
synonymous. When we cheat and succeed in doing so, it leads to ego
because we feel proud of what we have done even though it was wrong.
When we get caught cheating, then we get into big trouble. So
instead of cheating, we should be honest.
09.
Lobha:
It means greed. When
we have enough to meet our needs but we want more for the sake of
having it, it is called greed. We should realize that there is no
end to our desires. We should not forget that when we do not get
what we want, we get angry. We become jealous of someone who may
have what we want. To get what we want, we may use all means from
buying it to deception, stealing or even killing. Most of the wars
between nations are the result of greed of one to take over the
other. Therefore, instead of being greedy let us be content and
share with others what we have. If everybody does that, then there
will be peace and harmony among us.
10.
Räga:
Räga means
attachment. Suppose you went shopping at a clothing store and saw a
T-shirt that was cute. You liked it very much and you wanted to buy
it. You checked its price tag and it was high. You thought, “Well,
I will wait until it goes on sale.” You kept on checking every
two to three days to see if it was on sale. Your going back to the
store was due to your attachment to the T-shirt. Sometimes this
attachment can blind us to get what we want and to do so, we may even
use harmful methods. Therefore, we should avoid developing
attachments for things. After all that is not the only thing in the
whole world. In other words, we should learn to live a life where it
is all right whether we get what we like or not.
11.
Dvesha:
Dvesha means hatred.
Every now and then, we may come across a situation where we do not
like something. Most of the time we can ignore that, but sometimes
it develops into hatred towards someone. If the hatred is due to the
loss of something, then it can turn into anger and may cause harm to
others and to us. Hatred brings enmity. Instead, we should develop
love and friendship for everybody. Even if someone is cruel to us,
we should show compassion.
12.
Kalah:
It means to fight or
quarrel. Most of the time, when someone does not agree with us, the
first thing we do is fight. Many people even fight over a trivial
matter. Sometimes, it may seem that we win by fighting, but we lose
in the long run. Frustration and anger are a few of the causes for
fighting. We should not forget that fighting breaks up even a good
friendship. Therefore, we should learn to let go and believe in
forgiveness.
13.
Abhyäkhyäna:
Making false
accusations on somebody is called Abhyäkhyäna. Some people
cannot accept their losses and blame others for it even when the
others are not at fault. When the others find out the truth, they
are going to lose trust in these people. Therefore, before accusing
anyone, we should ask ourselves, “What is the truth and why am
I blaming others without proper evidence ?” No wise person will
do this. Therefore, accept the truth and live by that even though
sometimes it may not be in our favor.
14.
Paishunya:
Talking behind
someone’s back or spreading rumors are all known as Paishunya.
Many people try to look smart by spreading rumors about others. This
is a wrong habit that leads to unnecessary friction and quarrels.
This takes time away from constructive activities. Instead of
indulging in gossip, we should form the habit of appreciating others.
15.
Parpariväda:
It is formed of two
words. 1) Par means the other person and 2) Pariväda means to
criticize. Many people do nothing but criticize others. Instead of
admiring others, they always find fault instead. If criticism is
done with the good intention of improvement, then it is considered
positive or constructive criticism, and is welcome. But if the
criticism is done to put others down, then it is considered negative
criticism and it should be avoided. It creates unnecessary friction,
cultivates anger in people, and can lead to unfortunate events.
16.
Rati-Arati:
Rati means liking,
while Arati means disliking. When a friend comes to our house, we
like him, but on the other hand if a funny looking stranger comes to
our door we dislike him.
This liking or
disliking seems to be a natural response but we should not forget
that they can bring feelings of attachment or hatred in our minds.
Even though our expressions may look innocent, we should be careful
about them and try to balance them.
17.
Mäyä-Mrushäväda
Telling a malicious lie
is called Mäyä Mrushäväda. Any lie is bad, but
when it is done with malice it is worse. Malicious behavior causes
nothing but quarrels and friction. Not only should we avoid such
habits, but we should stay away from those who have such habits.
Instead of being vicious, we should be kind to others.
18.
Mithyä-Darshan-Shalya
This word is
combination of three words. 1) Mithyä means false, 2) Darshan
means faith, and 3) Shalya means a thorn. This means to believe in
false faith is a thorn. We know thorns never give pleasure, but
rather they always hurt. In the same way, keeping faith in a false
belief will lead us to nothing but sufferings. False beliefs can
start from believing in false teachers, false religions and false
gods. False teachers are those who do not believe in the five major
vows as prescribed by the Jinas. They promote violence, lying,
stealing, immoral sensual activities, and possessiveness. These
activities will bring our downfall. In the same way, false religions
will promote teaching opposite of what the Jinas have taught. False
religions can promote violence, anger, ego, deceit, and greed. They
will nourish attachment and hatred. That will be bad for us. In
the same way, a false god would be the one who is tinted with
attachment and hatred. When someone is biased, he cannot give proper
advice. But Jinas do not have any attachment or hatred; therefore,
they do not expect anything from what they advise. There is no
reason for them to give us any advice that will hurt us. They have
reached the higher state by following the same path they have shown
to us. They have taught us that we are our own saviors, and only we
can save ourselves. Thus, we should have faith in the right
teachers, the right religion, and the right god if we want to
progress in our spiritual journey.
From the discussion we
realize that any of these 18 types of sinful activities are harmful.
As long as we are living, we are bound to undertake some of these
activities, but we should be careful and replace the sinful
activities with good activities to minimize harm to our soul. If we
have to get involved in sinful activity due to unavoidable
circumstances, we should do it with regret and repent for doing such
acts and never enjoy doing them.
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