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THE KEY TO THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE
APPLICATION
The Conventional Interpretation
The above interpretation differs significantly from the way the Jains usually interpret the Five Freedoms. According to their understanding the Five Freedoms are: 1 - To be free from killing or hurting living beings - directly or indi
rectly. 2 - To be free from falsehood, deception and dishonesty. 3 - To be free from taking what is not given voluntarily. 4 - To be free from the inner compulsion that allows sexual needs to
govern our life. 5 - To be free from the attachment to material possessions.
The Jains generally interpret the Five Freedoms as 'vows'. Many of them believe that everyone who formally accepts these vows proceeds directly and automatically from the first to the fifth stage of development (gunasthana). However, this general understanding does not correspond with the mechanism of the 14 gunasthanas as it is described in the ancient scriptures. It rather indicates that much of the basic comprehension of this dynamic method of development has been lost - irrespective of how widely the erroneous understanding may be believed in.
A mere formal acceptance of these vows can never cause the transfer to a higher stage of comprehension and development. Certainly - taking the five vows can mark an initial point from where growth in this direction may start, but higher stages of development will only unfold when we remove the karnia that blocks our perception of these stages.
Unfortunately the flawed conventional interpretation often leads to much pointless world-renunciation, self-punishment and intense ascetic behavior.
The Five Freedoms are a method of dynamic growth that has nothiing to do with sacrifice, self-denial or renunciation of the world. On the contrary - feelings of remorse, self-punishment, mortification
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