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too much in the action sense and not enough in the knowledge sense. There is no place where is explained what is true religion, it is more a matter of 'go to church', sit and pray. But the essence of going to a church is not understood this way. It is something that you were told by your mother, and so you do it".
"What about meditation" T finally asked
"This is very much part of Jainism in India. You can do it privately, but the problem is to get the right knowledge. I am giving lectures every Saturday myself, to about fifty or sixty people, and I see so little knowledge, it is amazing how little knowledge people may have. In the beginning you would think that they are very religious, because they go to the temple. But the knowledge behind it may be virtually nil"
And here the first interview on the relation between Jain religion and ethics in a more general sense ended, and what we see is that, in the author's mind, it all boils down to sound knowledge that provides us the guiding principles to do things right, but realizing that there is a constant dilemma between what one can really do in life and what knowledge tells us to do. The latter only ascetics can do more or less correctly, whereas an engaged person in real life can only move in that direction. The good intention is crucial, even when action is imperfect. Choosing the least of imperfect action, given the circumstances, is then what one should do, but without crossing certain basic borders.
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