CHAPTER VI
PRECEPTS OF MAHAVIRA
(1) The Practice of Religion:
Religion
is the highest bliss; it is made up of
abstinence from injury (to living beings), self-restraint and penance. Even
gods bow down to him who has his mind always firm in religion.
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From the root grows up the trunk of
the tree, from the trunk shoot up the branches, out of them grow the twigs and
the leaves; and then there are produced flowers, fruits and juice. Similarly,
obedience is the root of the tree of religion and the Liberation is the highest
resultant (viz. the juice). It is by
obedience that one gets quickly and completely renown and learning.
While old age has not begun to ail,
or disease has not grown, or senses have not failed, one should practise religion.
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Whatever
day passes never comes back, in the case of a man practising
irreligion, the days pass without bringing any fruit (i.e. benefits) to him.
Whatever day passes never comes back;
in the case of a man practising religion, the days
pass bearing much fruit to him.
In the case of living beings carried away on by the rapid current of old age and death, it is religion that stands as island, firm
ground, refuge as well as the best shelter.
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This is the unchangeable, eternal
and permanent religion expounded by the Jinas. By means
of this, the enlightened have reached perfection; others also will reach
perfection by it
(2) The Value of
Self-Control
The body is said to be the
boat and the soul is said to be the sailor. The Samsara,
i.e. the worldly existence, is said to be the ocean which is crossed only by
great sages.
One must always guard one's soul
from all evil, by having all the
sense-organs properly controlled. In
case the soul is not well-guarded, it takes to the path leading to birth and
death; while if well-controlled, it becomes free from all worldly sorrows. and
misery.
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The Self alone should be subdued, for
it is very difficult to subdue it; he who has subdued his Self becomes happy in
this world as well as in the next.
It
is far better that I myself should
subdue my Self-control and austerities, rather than be subdued by others with fetters, and
corporal punishment .
My own Self is the river Vaitarani
(i.e. river in hell with bitingly cold water); my own Self is the Kutashalmati tree (i.e. a tree in hell with sharp leaves);
my own Self is the Kamadhenu, (i.e. the
desire-yielding cow); and my own Self is the park Nandana
(i.e. paradise).
My own Self is the doer
and un-doer of misery and happiness in this world; my own Self is my (best) friend or (worst) enemy, depending on whether
it acts well or badly.
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A man may conquer thousands and
thousands of invincible foes (but that is of no real consequence) ; his
greatest victory is when he conquers only his own Self.
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Fight
with your (own) Self ; what is the good of fighting the external foes ? By
conquering one’s Self by means of one’s own Self, one obtains true happiness.
The five senses, and (the four
passions, viz.) anger, pride, deception and greed, are all difficult to conquer
; equally difficult it is to conquer one's own Self. But one who has conquered
his Self, has conquered everything else in the world.
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Having committed a
wrong (or sin) knowingly or unknowingly, one should immediately revoke it, and
should never repeat it a second time.
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The gods,
the demons, the Gandharvas, the Yakshas,
the Rakshasas and
the Kinnaras-all bow down to a chaste monk who
observes the difficult Self-Control.
A man might give by way of charity, thousands of thousands of cows
every month ; but far better than him will be the man who may give nothing in
charity, but only observes perfect Self -Control.
Self-control is untasteful like eating a morsel of sand. And to practise life-long penance is as difficult as to walk on
the edge of a sword.
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In this world nothing is really
difficult for one who is free from
desires.
O man ! You better control and
curb your own Self ? Thus alone will you
be free from all sorrows and misery.
I beg pardon of all living beings ; may all living beings pardon me. I bear
friendship for all living beings ; I bear no enmity to any.
Anger destorys
love, pride puts an end to modesty, deceit removes friends, while greed destroys everything.
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(3) The Theory of Karma :
All souls are susceptible to
assimilating Karma particles, flowing from all the six quarters ; the Karma
binds the soul in all its parts, and the entire Karma-particles bind or cover
the whole soul in every way.
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In this world, all living beings suffer
individually for their deeds. For the deeds they have done, they obtain
punishment or rebirth ; none can escape the fruit of actions, except by suffering
for it.
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In this world or in the next,
the sinner suffers himself what he has inflicted on others a hundred fold or in some different form of
punishment. Living beings in Samsara, i.e. cycle of
worldly existence, go on ever acquiring fresh Karma (by mind, speech or
action), and suffer for their evil deeds.
As a burglar caught in the breach of a wall, perishes by the act he himself had performed (viz.
giving a breach in the wall), even to people, in this life and after death (i.
e. in the next life), can never escape the fruit of actions performed by them.
A man goes according to his Karma sometimes to the world of gods,
sometimes to hell; and. sometimes to the Asura world
(i. e. the world of demons).
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The relatives of a man will not act as relatives
at the time when the man is to reap the fruit of his Karma which he has done in this worldly
life for the sake of others, or in common
for himself along with others.
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Neither his kinsmen nor his
friends, nor his sons, nor his relatives are prepared to share his pain. He
alone bears the pain himself. Karma
follows invariably the doer alone.
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Therefore, a wise man should
know the various subdivisions or types of these Karmas, and should also exert
himself to prevent any new Karma and to destory the
past Karmas.
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Just as a large tank,
when its supply of water has been stopped, gradually dries up by the
consumption of the water, and by evaporation, similarly the Karma of a well-controlled
monk, acquired in crores of past births,
is annihilated by austerities provided, however, that there is no further influx of
bad Karma.
Just as a dried gourd fruit, when it is covered with layers of soft
clay, becomes heavy and sinks down in water, in the same way the soul becomes
heavy because of the influx of Karmas, and sinks to (i. e.
is born in) the lower types of births. But the same gourd fruit, when it is freed from the thick layers
of clay (-with the clay - gradually being dissolved in water-) becomes light
(or attains its natural lightness), and floats on the surface of water ; in
like manner, the souls devoid of all the Karmas, (attain their natural state),
and go to the top of the
world and reside there permanently.
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(4) The way of salvation :
Right faith, right knowledge and right conduct, these together
constitute the path to liberation.
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Liberation comes soon to those
desiring Self-advancement, when they exert ceaselessly in the threefold path of
right belief, right knowledge and right conduct.
One must by all possible means, first attain right belief, because only
on the acquisition thereof, knowledge and conduct become right.
Right knowledge, right
faith, right conduct and austerities : Those who follow this fourfold path will
attain the best state of existence i.e.
the final beatitude.
By right knowledge one knows
the true nature of things, by right
faith one believes in them, by right conduct one controls the influx of
Karma, and by austerities one attains purity.
Without right faith, there cannot
be right knowledge ; without right knowledge, there can be no right or virtuous
conduct ; without virtuous conduct, there cannot be release or freedom from Karma (i.e. release from bandage) ; and
without release from Karmic bondage, there cannot be Nirvana (i. e.
liberation).
Having destroyed their past Karmas by means of Self-control and
austerities, the sages proceed towards the goal of Mohsha,
which is free from all sorrows and misery.
By the manifestation of perfect knowledge, by the avoidance
of ignorance and delusion, by the destruction of love and hatred, one obtains
Liberation which is full of pure happiness.
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(5) The Rules of conduct:
Do not injure any living
beings.
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All living beings love their own
life, crave for pleasures, and are averse to pain; they dislike any injury to
themselves; everybody is desirous of life, and to every living being, his own
life is dear.
One
should treat all creatures as counterparts of one’s own Self.
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Non-injury is the highest religion.
If a man kills living beings
himself, or causes others to kill them, or even if he merely consents to their
killing, he increases his enmity towards living beings.
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Know and realise that all classes of living
beings desire happiness. By hurting these beings, yon harm your own souls, and
will again and again be born as one of them.
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Impartiality or equanimity towards all living beings in the world,
whether friends or foes, and life long abstention from injury to living beings,
is a vow difficult to observe.
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The very first principle of
religion is Ahimsa, i.e., non-injury to
living beings, which must be observed very scrupulously and thoroughly. One
should behave towards all living beings with proper restraint and control.
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Knowing that all the evils and
sorrows arise from injury to living beings, and knowing further that it leads
to unending enmity and hatred, and is the root cause of great fear, a wise man, who has become awakened, should refrain from all
harmful activities.
Do not kill living beings
in any of the three ways (i.e. in mind, word or deed) if you seek your interest
being free from desires of fruit and practising full
self-control. In this way many became
perfect in the past, many become so at present and many others will become so.
Any injury
whatsoever to the material or conscious vitalities caused through passionate
activity of mind, body or speech is Himsa.
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Assuredly, the
non-appearance of attachment and other passions is Ahimsa, and their appearance
is Himsa.
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Truth is the highest divine
principle.
O man ! Know that
truth is the fundamental principle ! The wise man, who always abides by the
commandment of truth, goes beyond death.
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Man should never speak a lie which
is always injurious to living beings,
whether for his own sake or for the sake of others, or out of anger or fear; he
should also not force others to speak a lie.
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A wise man should
never utter words sinful or condoning sin, whether out of anger, greed,
fear or jest.
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The third great sin is taking what is not
expressly given i.e. stealing; it causes heart-burning to others, endangers life, is sinful, alarming and scaring others,
it is the cause of greed for others’ property, and it is the root-cause of greed; it is a vile and ignoble act,
censured by the good; it causes disruption among friends and dear ones, and
gives rise to passions and hatred.
To
abstain from taking what is not given, even so
much as a tooth-pick, etc. ;
and to accept only such alms as are
free from all faults; this is a difficult vow to observe.
The taking of objects, which have
not been given, is to be deemed theft, and that is Himsa
because it is the cause of injury.
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Celibacy is the best among all
the vows in the world.
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Celibacy is the root
cause of excellent austerities, vows,
knowledge, faith, conduct, righteousness and discipline.
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Among all the austerities,
celibacy is the highest.
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Non-celibacy is the root of
all sins, and a multitude of all great faults.
A celibate monk should avoid a
women, even though her hands and feet are cut off, her ears and nose are lopped
off, and though she be a hundred years old.
Sexual indulgence has root
in desire and hence it is Himsa.
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To
renounce all sense of possession with regard to wealth, corn and servants, to
abstain from all harmful undertakings, and not to entertain any feeling of
possession or attachment : this is a very difficult vow.
He, who owns even a small
property in living and non-living things, or consents to others possessing it,
will never be delivered from misery.
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Immovable and movable
property, wealth, corn and other perquisites-none of these is capable of
freeing a man, from misery, who is suffering from the ripening of his actions.
Every man should think that he has to depart certainly one day, leaving
behind land, house, gold, sons, wife and relations –in fact leaving even his
body.
If somebody were to give the
whole earth to one man, even then the man will not be satisfied; a greedy
person is extremely difficult to be satisfied.
Reading that
wealth merely increases your sorrows and worries, and the bonds of attachment
or possession bring in their wake great dangers, you should bear the excellent
yoke of religion, which will give you real pleasure, and will also bring you the great happiness of Moksha.
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Renunciation of all
possessions is Ahimsa; and the appropriation
of all possessions is Himsa.
Misery is gone in the case
of a man who has no delusion, while delusion is gone in the case of him who has no desire; desire is gone in
the case of him who has no greed, while greed is gone in the case of him who
possesses nothing.
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(6) The duties of Ascetics:
A monk who
follows the order and commandments, who gives proper respect to elders, and who
acts according to his teachers’ desires is a disciplined monk.
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When
reprimanded, the wise monk should not get angry; but he should have forebearance. He
should avoid company, jokes and play with mean persons.
Others may abuse a monk; but the
monk should not be angry with them in return; because in that case the monk
becomes like a child, the monk should not get
angry.
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Self-restrained monk should
withdraw with effort his mind directed to any desire or thought of injury, or
any sinful act.
In thought, words or deeds a
monk should not undertake harmful activity to living beings, who live in this
world, whether they are mobile or immobile.
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Well-dressed food
quickly arouses passions; a monk, who is intent on practising
celibacy, should always avoid such food.
A monk, intent on practising the vow of celibacy, should abstain from
ornaments, and should not do anything whatsoever to adorn or decorate his body
in any manner.
A monk should always
abstain from the five-fold pleasant things (i.e. objects giving pleasures) viz.
sounds, colours, smells, tastes, and touch.
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The
ascetic life of those, who are intent on self-control, is comparable to living
in heaven; while the life of those, who do not practise
self-control, is like living in hell.
Mortify yourself; give up the feeling
of tenderness for the body; conquer desires and then you will realise that you have conquered all sorrow and misery; cut
off all types of attach- ment, suppress hatred, and
thus you will be happy in this worldly existence.
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He, who is desirous of storing, is a
householder and not a monk.
A monk should always concentrate
on the highest and most pure type of meditation, be free from Nidana (i.e. carving for worldly or temporal gains in lieu
of his austerities), should possess nothing, and move about in the world
completely disregarding his body, till such time as death overtakes him.
How can a monk, who cannot
control his passions and who is swayed away by distracting thoughts and is discouraged
at every step, can ever possibly practise the rules
of asceticism?
He, who abandons the evil
thought of attachment to worldly objects, can alone give up possessions; he
alone is a monk who has realised the real danger in
the world, and who has no worldly attachments.
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A monk should not care for sleep,
should avoid cutting jokes, should not take interest in the secrets of others,
but should always be occupied and devoted to his studies.
A monk is without any
possessions, without egoism, without attachment, without vanity or conceit, he
is impartial towards all living beings whether mobile or immobile.
A monk is indifferent to success
or failure, happiness and misery, life and death, so also to censure or praise,
and honour or insults.
The enlightened monks, who are
completely disinterested in the world, who are keen on receiving alms from
different places and not from one place only, and who are self-controlled, are
like the bees; and that is why they are called the true monks.
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A monk should not eat for the sake
of the delicious taste of the food, but far the sustenance of life and body,
not being greedy for delicacies, nor eager for good fare, and restraining his
tongue and being free from cupidity.
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If any body abuses a monk, he
should not get angry with him.
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One who never tells stories that
will incite quarrels, never gets angry, always controls his senses, and is calm
and serene, who is always pursuing firmly the precepts laid down for observing
self-control, is always unpurturbed, and never
offends or insults others—he alone is a true monk.
A monk should have
compassion towards all beings, should be of a forgiving nature, should be
restrained and chaste, and should avoid all sinful activities. He should move
about in the world with all his senses properly controlled.
A monk should not
use words of censure behind the back of another, he should not use painful
language in the presence of another; so also he should not use determinative
expression as also unpalatable expression; a monk who behaves thus, is really a
worthy one.