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But when Shaw told her that flowers were very dear to him, the lady asked him as to why no flowers were kept in the flower vase. To this querry, Shaw gave a thought-provoking reply. He said, "It is because I like the flowers so much that I do not like to pluck them from the bushes on which they grow and where they lead a very joyful life and put them here in the flower vase instead." This incident shows that western scholars too have tremendous compassion for living beings that have only one sense as Jainism points out.
We have just now touched on the various stages described by Jainism for the upliftment and evolution of the soul. Jainism prescribes fourteen stages or steps (gunasthànas) by which the soul makes spiritual progress. This gift of the fourteen stages given to mankind by Jainism is such a systematic arrangement that our soul finds a way of gradually evolving to the highest spiritiual state. This arrangement is highly logical because the faulty factors on account of which our worldly existence becomes possible, (these faulty factors are considred to be the defects of the soul or the deficiencies of the soul. For instance, the first factor is false belief or false faith (Mithyàtva) which is due to a false understanding. This Can be justifiably called a defect of the soul. When these factors are gradually destroyed by a proper understanding and exertion, then, it is natural that our soul will gradually mount towards the corresponding higher stages of spiritual ascent.
Our soul gets bound by the Karmas on account of wrong-belief (Mithyadarshana), (Avirati), passions (Kasayas),
Vowlessness
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