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4. Humility
Mahavira & Precepts on Learning / 143
Humility is the foundation of right faith.
To a person who is not humble, righteousness and austerity are of no avail.
A humble disciple does not wait but renounces sinful activities.
He who is modest gains knowledge and he who is arrogant fails to gain it.
Humility is the root or righteousness and emancipation the final object.
By humility, a person learns the knowledge of scriptures quickly.
By humility a person gains eminence and finally gets liberated.
Just as a plant cannot grow without water, learning will not be fruitful without humility.
Humility is austerity and austerity is dharma.
A person who is not humble should not be instructed about right conduct.
One who is equipped with humility traverses the difficult ocean of birth and death.
