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COMPBIDIUM Or JAINISM
monk who controls himself for the benefit of his soul, walks carefully to avoid harm to creatures, is gentle in his speech, careful in religious exercises, leads a chaste life, guards himself against all evils, does not incure sin and acquires such Karma as will be destroyed after sometime.
Persons acquire merit if they abstain from undertakings and possessions, practise righteousness, are of good character and morals, abstain from killing and commission of wicked actions causing pain to others. Monks and other revered persons who observe all vows fall in this category.
In everyday life, people love merit (Punya) because it brings in pleasure and worldly happiness; they hate demerit (Pāpa) because it is the cause of pain. Really speaking, pleasure and worldly happiness is not welcome because every moment of sensegratification enhances our craze for further enjoyment. A gold fetter binds a person as much as an iron one. Similarly auspicious or inauspicious Karma arising as a result of good or bad deeds binds the soul.6 From the real point of view, both merit and demerit lead the soul into cycles of births and rebirths, though they may bring about different states of birth or differing environments of happiness and misery.
A wise right believer should therefore refrain from accumulating Karmas of either kind and should have an eye on liberation of the soul by contemplating on its real qualities. In the lower stages of spiritual development, the mind and senses would be easily attracted towards pleasures and inclined towards performance of good deeds to earn merit. Yet constant devotion towards the Tirthankaras, engaging oneself in the service of the saints, study of scriptures and adopting an attitude of introspection repenting for wrong acts etc will gradually prepare the mind fo spiritual advancement. A seeker after liberation should know that both good and bad deeds produce Karmas that bind the soul he should therefore cultivate an attitude of detachment with righ knowledge and faith, and free himself from the operation Karmas.
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