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162 activities as mentioned earlier are preferable as they lead to heavens and socially, politically or religiously prestigious positions like fordbuilder, monarch, empyrean and learning proficient etc. The merit is like shadow while the demerit is like sunshine. One prefers shadow for coolness of mind and body. The merit means exertion and demerit means laxity towards virtuous activities. The merit leads to shedding of earned evil karmas, stoppage of wicked activities and promotion of virtuous and beneficial practices. The effects of merit are psychologically satisfying and physically leading to spiritual prosperity. 12. The merit may be associated with righteousness and wrongfulness. The first kind is worth adopting. 13. There could be four types of merit and demerit activities as below: Merit-binding merit : Virtuous activities without
caring for results (2) De-merit-binding-merit: Virtuous activities with
desire for future beneficial
effects or enjoyments : (3) Demerit-binding
Wicked activities with demerit
future desires (4) Merit-binding-demerit : Surgery by the doctor etc.
The activities of the right-faithed one belong to the first and fourth category while the activities of the wrong-faithed ones belong to the second and third category. 14. All the merit or demerit binding karmic species mentioned in the commentary 8.25-26 refer primarily to worldly situations. However, there is temporary happiness and harms. The spiritual progress has the motto of ultimate happiness with no harm. The Karma theory teaches us to move towards acquirement of tranquil life and liberation. This can happen only by destruction or destruction-cum-subsidence or curing and preventing the karmas of all types through acquirement of true knowledge and enlightenment by the processes of restraints, austerities and meditation.
Thus, the karmas, in general, are taken to be leading to worldly life of attachment, aversion and conflicts and confluences. The factors yield stress and intranquility. The human beings, by nature, are not only temporary peace-loving but permanent peace-loving, hence the Karma theory directs them to find out and pursue ways and means towards this
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