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Atma-Siddhi
187
things through knowledge, observation, experience, thinking, and feeling. Right conduct is gained back through nonattachment, which is a prerequisite for the vows, carefulness, restraint, performance of duties, contemplation, fortitude, and internal and external right living. Forgiveness, humility, straightforwardness, and charity are antidotes of four major passions of anger, pride, deceit, and greed. 34
All religious traditions indicate specific steps to be taken for soul-liberation. The used words, rituals, content, and roadmaps may vary, but the essential goal and path remain the same. Upholders of barren knowledge and ritualists miss this point. They also miss the point that the written word in holy texts is only part of the revelation of essential reality and rituals are external.garb of this reality. All religious traditions emphasize that inflow of sins occurs through wrong desires, passions, and propensities of mind, body, and speech. Therefore the advice is that one should conquer such desires, passions, and pleasure-seeking tendencies and rise above particular beliefs. The effort for soul-liberation has to be sincere and not hurting other beings, not lying, non-stealing, chastity, not engrossing oneself in worldly affairs, restraint in acts, speech, and thoughts, curbing of passions, forgiveness, humility, straightforwardness, bearing of troubles with fortitude, equanimity, and cheerfulness under all circumstances help in counteracting the inflow of sins. Right belief, right knowledge, and right conduct are essential means of liberation as well as goals. These means and goals are mutually reinforcing and merge in the form of self-absorption. Soul has to march patiently along the liberation path and ultimately does find its true nature. This is self-realization. 5
Right Belief, Right Conduct and Liberation
(Verses 108-118) The true teacher continues to explain further in these verses that one whose desires have calmed down, whose exclusive interest is in liberation, who feels sad about the rebirth process. and who has compassion for all is the seeker after soul. If such
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