Jainism For Beginners Level 03

Author(s): Sayampurnashreeji
Publisher: Sayampurnashreeji

Page 36

burglar & the surgeon would attract the same type of Karma? This is not true. The burglar's activity is evidently sinful, while that of the surgeon is meritorious,
Two Buddhist Monks
Many physical activities may be called either good or bad. Organized societies endeavour to encourage beneficial or virtuous activities & to discourage the wicked or vicious ones. There may also be legal provisions to forbid some of the manifestly wicked activities so as to maintain peace & order within society. Some of the activities however cannot be clearly labelled as good or bad. In the spiritual sense, the intention behind performing them, & the disposition in which an activity is performed, play an important role in deciding whether it would attract wholesome or unwholesome Karmas, Let us examine this aspect with the help of examples.
Doctor & Burglar
The two Buddhist monks one elder &
another younger, who have taken a vow of celibacy including not to touch opposite sex person, were traveling from one place to another. On the way they come across a river that is flooded. On the bank of the river, there was a beautiful young girl intending to go across but she was scared of so much water. Realizing her anxiety, elder monk offers his hand & leads her into water. Watching this, younger monk objected the action of elder monk, but elder monk ignored his objection & went ahead. The flow of the river got swifter causing the girl to drift elder monk therefore holds her waist & leads her ahead. For younger monk, this act of elder monk was beyond imagination & he severely reproached elder monk for his audacity. Elder monk again ignored his objection. Water gets deeper ahead. The girl did not know how to swim. Elder monk therefore carried her on his back & swims across the river. This is too much for younger monk who cursed elder monk for gross violation of the vow. Elder monk did not
Nav Tatva (Part - 1)
burglar, for instance, comes across
La person who he wants to rob. He fatally stabs the person. On the other hand, a patient with tumor in stomach is advised to undergo surgery He goes to a surgeon who opens his belly with the surgical knife. Unfortunately for the patient, the tumor is in a very advanced stage or there are other complications. Consequently, the patient dies during surgery. In both these cases a person hurts other person with a knife & the other person dies. Does it mean that the