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Discourse XLVI
RIGHTEOUS CONDUCT
Gentlemen,
Our holy scriptures declare, “Monks far excel all the house holders in self restraint". This means a house holder with any remarkable degree of righteous conduct cannot equal an ordinary monk. This fact would justify the significance of complete non-attachment.
WHO DESERVES TO BE CALLED COMPLETELY NON-ATTACHED?
Holy scriptures have entertained elaborate consideration regarding the nature of a person possessed of complete non-attachment. Entire consideration can be summarised thus : The soul extremely anguished with the worldly wanderings and possessed of merits like modesty etc. deserves to be called “Totally non-attached”.
Person initiated into complete non-attachment is designated as Sadhu (monk), Anagara (with no possessions), Bhikshu (begging alms), Yati (The Controller), Samayati (self-controlled), Pravrajit (mendicant), Nirgranth (Passions untied), Virat (non-attached), Kshanta (with forebearance), Danta (with suppressed passions), Muni (sage) Tapasvi (Ascetic), Rishi (Sage), Yogi (united with the supreme soul), Shramana (with passions shattered) etc. etc.
A person being initiated into such sagely order of life, has to observe purity of inquiry, purity of time, purity of place, purity of quarters, and purity in prostrations
Purity of inquiry should be understood thus : Suppose a person desirous of his Soul's emancipation approaches his preacher then he should make inquiries about his identity, his whereabouts, his place of birth, his parents, his religious studies, motivating cause of his desire to be initiated, existence of his parents' consent for such initiation his awareness of his liability which he would incur in monkish order of life etc. etc. If the preacher is not satisfied with the information he receives then he should carry on further inquiries. It is also specified that the aspirant should be tested with the help of astrology or the science of omens.
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