Lessons for juniors(15)

SOURCES OF SINS(12 to 18)

So far, we have discussed the first eleven sinful activities including, Violence (Pranatipata), Untruth (Mrushavada), Theft (Adattadan), Unchaste (Maithun), Possessiveness (Parigraha), Anger (Krodh), Arrogance (Mana), Deceit (Maya), Greed (Lobh), Attachment (Rag), and Hatred (Dwesh) in the last two chapters. We are going to discuss the rest of the seven sinful activities in this chapter.

Kalah: It means to fight. Most of the time, if we do not agree with others, the first thing we do is to fight. Many people fight even for a trivial matter. Sometimes, it may seem that we win by fighting, but we lose in the long run. Frustration or anger are the cause 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.

Abhyakhyan: Making false accusations on somebody is called abhyakhyan. Some persons cannot accept their losses and blame others for it even when the others are not at fault. When people 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 looking for the short term gain?" No wise person will do this. Therefore, accept the truth and live by that even though sometime it may not be in our favor.

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 which leads to the unnecessary friction and the quarrels. This takes time away from constructive activities. Instead of indulging in the gossip, we should form the habit of appreciating others.

Parparivada: It is formed of two words. 1) Par means the other person and 2) parivada means to criticize. Many people do nothing but criticize others. Instead of admiring others, they always find faults instead. If criticism is done with the good intention of improvement cause, then it is considered positive or constructive criticism, and that is welcome. But if the criticism is done to put down others, then it is considered negative criticism and it should be avoided. It creates unnecessary friction, cultivates anger in the people, and can lead to unfortunate events.

Rati-arati: Rati means liking, while arati means disliking. When a friend comes to our house, we like him, but on the other side 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 the feeling of attachment or hatred in our minds. Therefore, even though our expressions may look innocent, we should be careful about them and try to balance them.

Maya-mrushavada -Telling a malicious lie is called maya mrushavada. As such any lie is bad, but when it is done with the malice it is even worst. Malicious behavior causes nothing, but quarrel 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 the others.

Mithya-darshan-shalya: This word is combination of three words. 1) mithya means false, 2) darshan means the faith, and 3) shalya means a thorn. This means to believe in a false faith is a thorn. We know thorn never gives 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 would promote violence, anger, ego, deceit, and greed. They will nourish attachment and hatred. Therefore, that will be bad for us. In the same way, 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 reached the higher state by following the same path they have shown us. They have taught us that we are our own savior, 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 stay away from the troubles.

So, from the discussion in the last three chapters, we can 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 souls. If we have to get involved in any sinful activity due to the unavoidable circumstances, then we should do it with regret, and repent for doing such acts but never enjoy doing it.