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Jaina Path of Purification (Liberation)
Vicious Professions
Gambling or speculation is neither an honest business nor a profession requiring labour. It fosters idleness and dishonesty. It requires the use of deception and tricks. In it when one gains, so many are ruined. Causing distress to so many and sitting idle, to gain wealth by such vicious profession is deplorable and reprehensible. Afterwards, if one gives donations for religious purposes from the wealth accumulated in this dishonest and unjust manner,' can that wash off the sins the donor has incurred by causing distress and sufferings to so many persons and their dependents? That can, provided the donor gives away all his wealth in donation for the philanthropic activities with the firm resolve of renouncing the vicious profession for ever. The reputation one gains in and the honour one receives from the unwise and uncultured society due to one's wealth acquired through unfair and unjust means have no value at all from the spiritual standpoint. And taking pride in such reputation and honour further degrades and lands one on a very low plane.
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About Vow of Limiting one's Possessions
Keeping all this in view, the Jaina scriptures propound the vow of limiting one's possessions. The practice of the vow is possible only when one limits one's desire for possessions or one controls one's greed. The vow is preached so that its practice may weaken the attacks of greed, raise the standard of morality and prompt the rich to spend their excess wealth for the good of the society. By utilising their excess wealth in philanthropic activities the rich can properly resist the feeling of hostility directed against them by the unemployed and the poor. Renouncing excessive luxury, inordinate worldly pleasures as also waste of wealth in various ways, and properly limiting their needs, to utilise their excess wealth for the good of the society is beneficial to the rich themselves and the entire society as well.
One can easily understand that sustenance and progress of the society
1. The following ancient verse describes as to how the donation of the wealth acquired through unjust means is:
anyayopattavittasya danam atyantadoṣakṛt/
dhenum nihatya tanmämsair dhväkṣaṇām iva tarpanam //
The donation of the wealth acquired through unjust means causes terrible evils. It is like an act of satisfying crows with the meat of a cow after having killed it.
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