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Fourth Chapter
CODE OF CONDUCT FOR LAITY
DEFINITION OF AHIMSĀ
All beings in this world desire happiness and fear sorrow. Every being loves his life; no one wants to die. If something is done against this desire he becomes miserable. Different than this there is another viewpoint of sorrow. Whether or not someone or myself is killed, my behaviour or action may cause pain to someone or myself. Keeping this in view, my behaviour with other beings as well as my own self will be the yardstick of ahimsā and hiṁsā.
If we want to know ahimsā and himsā in brief we may say - himsā is to cause destruction of others or self through stupor of mind (pramāda), speech and body', the opposite of this or not to cause destruction is ahiṁsā. The stupor of mind, speech, and body means that state where mind, speech, and body are under the influence of anger, conceit, illusion, or greed. To cause destruction in such state is called himsā.
Pramāda and prāņa are technical terms. It is necessary to understand them properly. Pramāda (stupor) is of fifteen kinds: four passions – anger, conceit, deceit, and greed; four types of gossip -- about woman, attachment inspiring, about food, and political; indulgence in subjects of five sense organs - touch, taste, smell, seeing, and listening; sleep; and love.
Prāņa (life force or vitality) is of two types -- drarya (physical) prāņa and bhāva (mental) prāņa. Dravya prāņa means -- five sense organs, mind, speech, body, breathing, and life span. These are the ten kinds of dravyaprāņa. In the same way bhāva prāņa means – inner peace, bliss, tranquility, knowledge, and other such attributes.
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