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SPIRITUALISM AND ETHICS
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because they have helped him nor does he harm them because they have harmed him.
Once there were two monks who did not see other eye to eve with each other. One of them went to the other and offered an apology to him for his own conduct. The other heard the apology but kept silent. On this he who had offered an apology went to his preceptor and complained that inspite of his apology the muni did not speak even a single word to him. The preceptor remarked. “It does not matter whether he accepts your apology or not. If you had offered an apology with the expectation of regaining his friendship, it was not a sincere apology but a pragmatic move."
The conduct of a spiritual man is not a reaction. He does not compromise but behaves in a magnanimous way. He does not expect returns. He acts with a sense of duty, Anyathā Vyavahāra is a duty which must be done irrespective of its consequences.
The man who simply reacts remains unbalanced. A balanced mind does not take sides. He is above favouritism, likes and dislikes and sweetness and bitterness.
There is a story in an Upanishad. A psi (seer) called Jājali was engaged in severe penances. His hair grew thick He stood motionless. Birds built their nests on his head and laid eggs in them. The eggs were hatched and young ones flew away and yet the rsi stood still. Severe penance made him conceited. Suddenly he heard a divine voice which said, "Rsi, your penances are still unripe. Go to the merchants Tulādhara and try to learn something from him. “The ssi became angry. The divine voice offended him. Anyhow he approached Tuladhara. He saw the merchant doing business in his shop. Customers were coming and going and the merchants was busy with his scales weighing articles. He was a matter of fact man. He kept his eyes continuously fixed on the balance. When the day's business had been done and he was about to down the shutters, the rsi approached him and asked, "Are you Tuladhara ?" The merchants replied in the affirmative and asked the rsi how he had come to him. The rși replied, “I have come to you to be acquainted with your sådhanā. What is the secret of your sādhanā ? ."The mearchant
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