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The Concept of Pañcasila in Indian Thought
In conclusion, it can be said that non-stealing (stealing either taken in the sense of a crime or a sin) has been regarded as an important virtue not only in Buddhism but ever since the time of the Ķgveda. It is one of the most accepted moral tenets of all civilizations, in a certain sense it is made more important than non-violence because it directly deals with :social morality. But the newer approach of Sramaņical systems (Buddhism and Jainism) lies in the fact that this precept of non-stealing is made to base itself on non-violence, the root of all moral principles.
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