Book Title: Harmless Soul
Author(s): W J Johnson, Dayanand Bhargav
Publisher: Motilal Banarasidas

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Page 194
________________ 180 Harmless Souls correspond to moha (in the limited sense), 2) and 3) inclination towards / indulging with objects corresponds to rāga and dveşa. This does seem a little strained as it stands, for why should karuņā be selected as one of two typical examples of moha? It may, therefore, be the case that in 1:85 we have a different 'definition of moha, congruent with, but unrelated to, the tribhūmika division, which may have been unknown to the author of this gāthā in its developed technical sense. There is also the possibility here that Amrtacandra, or both Amrtacandra and Kundakunda, are consciously using the fact that karunā plays such an important role in Mahāyāna Buddhism. That is to say, by including it within the circle of moha, rāga, and dveșa, they are denying the idea that ultimately there can be such a thing as 'detached compassion', compatible with wisdom and liberation; in the final analysis, karunā is aśuddha. Such an interpretation may be supported by the apparent Jaina preference for anukampā, rather than karunā, as the term for 'compassion'. In other words, it is possible that, at least when first employed by the Jains, karuņā was chosen when some special shade of meaning was required. 124 To take the contrast a little further, Rahula remarks that, according to Buddhist ethics, 'for a man to be perfect there are two qualities that he should develop equally: compassion (karuņā) on the one side, and wisdom (paññā) on the other'. 125 Compassion represents 'the qualities of the heart', such as love, charity, kindness and tolerance, while wisdom represents 'the qualities of the mind'. Thus, in the ideal Buddhist way of life, wisdom and compassion - the cognitive and the affective - 'are inseparably linked 124 It should, however, be noted that the Pāli Canon also uses aņukampā in the sense of 'compassion'. For instance, it is said that the Buddha gave his teaching 'for the good of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world' (bahujanahitaya bahujanasukhāya lokānukampāya, quoted by Rahula p. 46). 125 Rahula p. 46. Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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