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Philosophy of Acaranga Sutra
181
(3) Samyama (contraction) (4) Tapa (austerity)
E4. (i) Sāmāyika Dharma (religion) consists in Sāmāyika. What one acknowledges Sāmāyika one acknowledges it as 'Munihood' and what one acknowledges as Munihood that as Sāmāyika. Sāmāyika is the specific characteristic of a Muni. (157, 209, 161)
E4. (ii) By knowing and identifying Sämäyika with soul in tone-perceptive, one gets self-bliss; does not remain unhappy. One should never allow oneself to be baffled or disturbed, but always keep tranquility and be self reconciled. Must remain self-contained and Self-oriented. With Sāmāyika, a spiritualist 'falls in order' and is recognised as such. 'Restrain your own self, thereby you will be distress-free. Struggle with your self alone-no use fighting with externals. Chastise your Self, refine your Self. Always maintain purity of the Self, do not allow foreign adulteration. Keep your soul region stable, in perfect calm.
E4. (iii) Eliminate four kaşayas (passions) namely anger, pride, deceit and greed without which there would be no emancipation from karmic bondage. One should, exterminate anger, pride, deceit, greed, attachment, aversion, delusion, conception, birth, death, hell, animal-inception and agonies, because subjugation (or persuit) of each leads to the conquering of (or engagement in) the latter. This is the philosophy of those who are omniscients, liberated, devoid of violence and liquidators of the bondage. Short duration of human life cannot justify anger-expunge it. For times out of number, the same soul has taken birth in higher class of species like human beings and gods and for infinite period it had wandered in lower types of species like stationary, 2-3-4 sense-beings and animals. So there is no intrinsic difference between various classes of incarnate beings-souls resident in all of them are alike. Visualiz ing this, who will boast of his family stock, or feel proud of it and why shall he have affinity toward, or longing for, any? Therefore, a wise man should neither feel elevated nor dejected on account of his caste etc. and should expunge the sense of vanity of any sort whatsoever. Unless deceit is eradicated, there will be no progress towards nirvāṇa. The greedless one is just like a liberated one.
E4. (iv) Do not develop the mentality of liking and disliking-reject both forthwith. Bear everything with self-quiescence; do not allow these ideas to overpower you. Feeling of the absence of pleasure or presence of displeasure should not crop up. Cross that stage, go beyond them.
E4. (v) Treat yourself exactly at par with others without claiming any privileges. Know all like yourself.
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E4. (vi) Realising this coming and going, one should put an end to the sentiments of attachment and aversion. On winning these two powerful enemies, Samayika reaches the stage that even if his body is cut into pieces, no feelings rise in him.
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