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Jaina Philosophy and Religion
against the attack or to give it to another person whose sole intention is to save the life of that innocent man is not a purposeless harmful activity. But to give a weapon to the violent attacker to perpetrate violence over others is surely a harmful activity beneficial to none.
(3) One should not yield to harmful contemplation: To think continuously of doing harm to others, to yield to evil brooding over unjust means of accumulating wealth, to caress the ideas of sensual pleasures and to think vainly of one's miseries and misfortunes are the purposeless harmful activities. Vain and sorrowful thinking about the contact of the undesirable things, separation of the desirable ones and pains of the diseases comes under the head of purposeless harmful activities. Vain brooding over business worries is no doubt a purposeless harmful activity. But proper thinking aboutone's business is not a purposeless harmful activity. Similarly, proper thinking about family management is not a purposeless harmful activity. Moreover, our thinking about the victory of the just and righteous persons like Räma as also about the defeat of the unjust and unrighteous persons like Rāvana is not a purposeless harmful activity. Again, thinking about the ways and means of protecting justice and destroying injustice could not be regarded as purposeless harmful activity, because it is very useful for the uplift and welfare of the society. Similarly, proper thinking as to how to get rid of the contact of the undesirable things as also how to attain the company of the desirable ones could not come under the head of the purposeless harmful activities. Nor can we regard our thinking about the cure of the diseases and recovery of health as a purposeless harmful activity.
(4) Thoughtless behaviour: Thoughtless activities like aimlessly digging the ground and igniting fire, etc. are purposeless harmful activities. While walking, to strike a standing animal with a stick is a foolish purposeless harmful activity. One should consciously avoid such purposeless harmful activities. To refrain from killing the immobile, i.e., one-sensed living beings is not included in the minor-scale vow of non-violence, yet their unnecessary and purposeless killing comes under the head of purposeless harmful activities, hence one should avoid it. Lying, etc., of insignificant character are not prohibited in the concerned minor-scale vows, but under the present vow householders are warned against committing them too. This vow prohibits joking which hurts others. It prohibits back-biting and talking ill of others. Watching theatrical representations, dances and other public shows, which arouse sex passion are to be avoided as far as possible. Activities
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