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Jaina Philosophy and Religion
their duty to give happiness and satisfaction to others and consider it an evil act to cause harm and injury to others by treating them harshly and unjustly. This path of good conduct is a blessing to one's own self as also to others. And one who follows this path of universal Good makes one's life blessed and praiseworthy.
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Religion is as much necessary and useful to those whose mind refuses to accept life after death as it is to those who firmly believe in it. It is because religion is something whose results we experience in the present life itself. Just as water, food, etc., have clear perceptible effects on our body, even so the practice of religion does have clear perceptible effects on our mind. In reality, religion is nothing but removing defilements and perversions from mind and making life pure and noble by cultivating lofty qualities like compassion, truthfulness and self-control. It is the essence of life. It is the natural state of life. It does not depend on the discursive philosophy of life after death, heavens and hells, etc. The key to happiness lies in that real and pure state of life. Without that pure and natural state of life all our efforts in the quest of happiness will be futile and result in miseries.
Where there is hunger for religion, the question of the school or place of religion becomes secondary. A person hungry for religion makes sincere efforts to satisfy that hunger. He understands and knows that he can satisfy his hunger in any school or place of religion; there is no use of boasting of greatness of a particular school or place. But when man is ensnared in the pride about his school or place of religion as he is in the pride about his family, etc., he forgets the main objective of the school or place, which is nothing but to foster devotion to and practice of religion, ceases to devote himself to religion itself and becomes a devotee of school and place alone. Different religious sects are neighbours. And if we understand and perform our duties toward our neighbours, harmony and love will prevail all around. If somebody's school or place of religion has some specialities and more soothing elements, he may no doubt relate them to his neighbours, but that too he should do politely and affectionately. Not only that, but he may suggest them lovingly to take advantage of them. Howsoever great is held the school or place due to its speciality, it will not benefit man merely on account of his image of himself as its upholder or as a fighter for its cause, if he has no 'hunger' at all or is careless and lethargic in satisfying his 'hunger'. On the other hand, an upholder of even a small or insignificant school will get nec
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