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Jaina Philosophy and Religion
vicious tendencies, evil thoughts, diseases, weakness, cowardice, idleness, hard-heartedness, perverse feelings, sensuality, miserliness, pride, greed, inclination to temptations, hypocrisy, suspiciousness, superstitiousness, crookedness, slavishness, etc. This is the first necessary qualification required of one who embarks upon the spiritual discipline for liberation. Vigorous and sincere efforts to free body, heart, mind, intellect and senseorgans from their respective defects are really efforts for the attainment of liberation. Such efforts are absolutely necessary for one desirous of liberation. One can remove defects of body, mind, etc. with the instrumentality of true knowledge, education or training. Or, it is only that knowledge, education or training which is useful in attaining freedom from the defects is the right knowledge, right education or right training. The ancient maxim ‘sā vidyā yā vimuktaye' rightly declares that the true learning is that which frees man from bondages, that is, from economic, social, political and intellectual slavery, and makes him strong, energetic, discreet, dynamic, benevolenţ, charitable, kind and virtuous. This freedom is closely related with the ultimate spiritual freedom, that is, liberation. The education or training which does not help man to improve his thoughts, does not teach him how to control his mind and sense-organs, does not generate in him qualities of fearlessness and self-reliance, does not show him the right way of earning livelihood, and does not awaken and keep burning the feeling of freedom is not true, wholesome and capable of achieving the right objective, however much it may sharpen our intellect, intensify and broaden our knowledge of language, and impart us varied informations. That education or training which brings the material (external) and spiritual (internal) freedom is the best and true education or training.
The path of spiritual good or liberation is neither absolute inactivity nor absolute activity. At right time, inactivity is automatically attained. Mutual amiable cooperation of activity and inactivity is real life. Inactivity is necessary to enliven and vitalise activity. A traveller takes rest in order to gather strength to walk further. After having taken rest, he again starts his journey. Similarly, remaining inactive for some time at regular intervals one can make one's activity energetic, lively and brilliant. If we want to construct a high-rise building, then we are required to excavate deep foundation. Similarly, to prepare ourselves for activity, we have to accept inactivity for some time. In a way inactivity fosters activity. Thus activity properly nourished by inactivity is a source of sweet, wholesome, eternal
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