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Jaina Path of Purification (Liberation)
57
thinkers have attempted to give some idea of unnecessary and purposeless harmful unvirtuous activities, simply by giving broad instructions. They state:
(1) One should not give harmful advice: If a man who has gone deep into the vices (vyasanas) like drinking wine, taking intoxicating drugs, smoking, gambling and so on advises others to take them, then that advice is purposeless and harmful. Instead of superimposing good qualities on them, he should point out their real defects. To say good words in their praise and carry on their propaganda is the purposeless harmful activity. A householder has to teach others certain things very useful in life. He has to teach how to cultivate land, how to cook food, how to plan a house, how to sew clothes, etc. If he generously teaches these useful subjects to those who really want to learn them, he is not violating the vow. His advice and instruction could not be regarded as purposeless harmful activity. Noble-minded generous persons consider the entire world to be their family. This means that to give advice and instructions with good motive to others for their benefit in such matters as are socially and practically useful is not a purposeless harmful activity. But to give advice to others about evil activities in which they are already engaged, to give vain and needless advice, to give advice merely out of garrulity, to give advice that leads a man astray, to give advice which stimulates others to pursue perverse sensual pleasures, to give advice concerning methods of livelihood involving wrong doings-all these are cases of purposeless harmful activities.
(2) One should not give means of destroying life to others: This means that if a man gives a knife to sharpen a pencil and fire to cook food, that is not a purposeless harmful activity. But to give a knife to kill or harm somebody and fire to burn somebody or his property, that is certainly a purposeless harmful activity. It is narrow-mindedness to give these things to one's relatives only with a view to helping them and to refuse to give them to others. It displays harshness of one's heart to refuse to give fire t stranger to cook food. One should always remember the above-mentioned wise saying that the noble-minded generous persons regard the entire world as their family. The entire world where we live inter-dependently should be the field for our beneficial and good activities. When somebody has violently attacked an innocent man, to give the latter a weapon to defend himself
1. udaracaritānām tu vasudhaiva kutumbakam /
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