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BOOK III: THE CONDUCT
381
the totality of meritorious qualities has entitlement for following the right path (for guna-samididovasevi probably one should read gunasamidadovasevi). (259)
The shramana who, through cessation from sin, neutrality (madhyastha) towards all righteous persons, and striving for the totality of meritorious qualities, has for portion the right path, consisting in mental-concentration, which results from evolution through a simultaneity of enlightened view, knowledge and conduct, must, since he is an abode of liberation and merit, be regraded as a non-variant occasion bringing about a non-variant result (read aviparita-phalakaranam).
Now he expounds a non-variant occasion which gives rise to a non-variant result:
III.60. Those who are devoid of evil psychic-attention and have pure psychic-attention or good psychic-attention are saviours of men: he who is devoted to them, receives what is excellent (merit). (260)
Shramanas, characterized as above, who through annihilation of infatuation, aversion and disapproved (aprashasta) attachment, are free from evil psychic-attention-being sometimes, through stoppage of every arising of passions (kashaya), possessed of pure psychic-attention and, sometimes, through ripening of excellent attachment, possessed of good psychic-attention, are, through being themselves abodes of liberation, saviours of men; and others who manifest excellent feelings of devotion to them become partakers of merits.
Now in a pair of sutras, he indicates that the practice of reverence towards the non-variant occasion, which occasions a non-variant fruit, should be carried out in general and particular:
III.61. Having perceived a fit object (vastu) as described (say venerable saints), one should proceed with acts such as rising in welcome: then according to qualities distinction should be made this is the teaching. (261)
With reference to a fit-object (vastu), such as we have described as a cause of purification of the self, it is not forbidden to shramanas to introduce an intensification of quality into their activity in action agreeable thereto.
III.62. Rising in welcome, hospitable reception, reverence, nourishing, respectful attention, folding of hands and prostration are said to be due in this life to superiors in meritorious qualities. (262)
