________________
60
Jagdish Sahai
There are other actions which bear fruit after a period of time has elapsed. When a man takes physical exercise its fruit will result after some time. Even so it is possible that we may not get the fruit of many of our actions in our present life and have to reap them in our next life, Just as the wind, on its onward march from one place to another, takes with it the resultant of both the sweet and bad odours through which it has passed, in the same manner a man's Ego, at the time of death, leaves the physical body, taking with it the final outcome of his thoughts, actions, experiences, and will, acquired during the life that has just ended enter another body and start on a new chapter of life's journey with the former life's character-load as the starting point. The way to Right Action
Man and his actions are inseparable. Man must work in order to live. but how? A man should work without any selfish motive. He should be as self-less in his conduct as possible. This will help him in developing non-attachment. Selfless work is that which a man does without any motive of selfish and personal profit. All actions which go to gratify the I-ness' or the finite individuality of man are doubtl When man is deluded by the selfish thoughts of 'I' and 'mine', he becomes a slave to lust, anger and greed which impel him to commit the meanest of actions. The thought of depriving others of all wealth and power and bringing them under his possession, will dominate his whole life. But selfless service connotes impersonal action. In doing such impersonal action man sees his own good in the good of others. By working in this spirit he identifies himself with all other beings of the universe and does not consider the reality of their existence apart from himself. On the other hand, he feels that like all other beings he too is a part and parcel of the universe as a whole. Therefore, whatever action contributes to the good of the whole becomes a right action for him. Eevry action of his is done for the good of the whole and not for his personal individual self. Who is the Doer of Action ?
Man being the essential part of Nature, works according to the nature within him. The soul of man, embodied in a human form, apparently limited by the initial character-load and the chain of individual experiences ordained by the Law of Karma (or the law of Cosmic Moral Order which affirms “as maa sows so he reaps") strives to realize, during
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org