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CONDUCT
C05 - Leshyäs (State of Mind and Karmic Stains)
C05 - Leshyäs (State of Mind and Karmic Stains)
01 Introduction
Leshyä means state of mind. Generally most of our actions reflect the state of our mind. Jainism places a great deal of importance on the state of our mind when we act upon anything. The attachment of Karma depends more on the state of mind than action itself. The following story illustrates how the state of our mind reflects upon our activities.
Once there were six friends who went on a hiking trip. Along the way, they got lost in a forest. After a while, they got hungry and thirsty and they had no food or water. They searched for food for some time and finally found a fruit tree.
As they ran to the tree, the first man said, "Let's cut the tree down and get the fruit." The second one said, "Don't cut the whole tree down, cut off a big branch instead." The third friend said, "Why do we need a big branch? A small branch has enough fruit." The fourth one said, "We do not need to cut the branches, let us just climb up and get all the fruit." The fifth man said, "Why pick so many fruit and waste them? Instead just pick enough fruit to eat." The sixth friend said quietly, "There are plenty of good fruit on the ground, so let's eat those first."
This story clearly shows the state of mind of six friends, which led to actions ranging from cutting the entire tree to picking up fruit from the ground. These six levels of thoughts represent six types of Leshyäs.
The first friend's state of mind represents Krishna (black) Leshyä. The second friend's state of mind represents Neel (blue) Leshyä. The third friend's state of mind represents Käpot (gray) Leshyä. The fourth friend's state of mind represents Tejo (red) Leshyä. The fifth friend's state of mind represents Padma (yellow) Leshyä.
The sixth friend's state of mind represents Shukla (white) Leshyä.
Krishna Leshyä is the worst and Shukla Leshyä is the best. Krishna, Neel, and Kapot Leshyäs lead the soul to ruin and the last three lead the soul to spiritual prosperity. We know that our minds wander into different states all the time for better or for worse. Therefore, we should strive for a better state of mind progressively. The story of King Prasannachandra who lived during Lord Mahävir's time illustrates how fast surroundings can affect our mind, our Leshyäs, and our spiritual progress.
02 Classification of Leshyäs
Let us understand how a person with different Leshyäs behaves and what the outcomes of such Leshyäs
are.
1. Krishna (Black) Leshyä
People in this state of mind do not show any compassion or mercy. Everyone is afraid of them as their anger frequently turns into violence. They are always burning with jealousy and they have ill will for everyone. They are full of enmity and malice, and do not believe in spirituality. This state of mind is the worst and most dangerous. If one dies while in this state of mind they will be reborn in hell.
2. Neel (Blue) Leshyä
People in this state of mind are proud, arrogant, and lazy. They are not trustworthy and other people avoid their company. They are cheaters, cowards, and hypocrites. These people avoid religious discourses. If one dies while in this state of mind they will be reborn as a one sense living being.
Compendium of Jainism - 2015
Page 151 of 398
