Heritage of the Last Arhat Mahavira

SR No.: 001653
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Charlotte Krause
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith
Total Pages: 32
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Religion, & Devotion
File Size: 3 MB

Page 11

of life, viz., how they all strive after happiness by all means of physical and mental activity, from eating, drinking, sleeping, dressing, up to sport and play, traffic and trade, art and science, strive after happiness at any cost, even at the cost of the wellbeing of others, and to reach, alas, just the contrary, viz., the binding of undesirable Karma, and therewith latent sorrow and suffering. To make him realize all this, to make him know that he cannot even quietly sit and breathe without killing and harming life round about, killing and harming brother-souls, and adding thereby to the stock of his own misfortunes. To make him aware of it and still encourage him to take up the desperate struggle against this world of dark mights within and round about him.
How can he take up this desperate struggle?
कहं चरे कहं चिढे कहासे कहं सए । कहं भुंजंतो भासंतो पावं कम्मं न बन्धइ ।। "How to walk, how to stand, how to sit, how to lie down, how to eat, and how speak, without binding
undesirable Karma ?"
The Dasavaikālika Sūtra (iv,7 f.) after giving a detailed description of the harm people do to other creatures merely by careless behaviour, puts these questions, and immediately lets the answer follow :
जयं चरे जयं चिट्ठे जयमासे जयं सए । जयं भुजतो भासंतो पावं कम्मं न बन्धइ ।। "By walking with care, standing with care, sitting with care, lying down with care., the binding of undesirable
Karma can be avoided".
The Ācārānga Sūtra discusses this subject in full breadth, and the Sūtrakặtānga Sūtra, which goes more into the depth of the abstruse problem, goes so far as to state (II, 4) that the soul is binding bad Karma at any time whatsoever, even if it does not directly do evil actions, i.e., even in sleep, or in a state of