________________ Pancastikaya-samgraha Siddha paramesthi enjoys is infinitely more than the combined happiness that all the above mentioned worldly-beings jiva) enjoy during the course of their past, present and future lives." The supreme happiness of the Siddha paramesthi is indescribable; it is beyond the senses, self-dependent, and devoid of fluctuations or impediments whatsoever. The happiness of the worldly-beings (iva), on the other hand, is sense-perceived, dependent on outside objects, and characterized by unease or anxiety. As the tongue of the man suffering from acid reflux is not able to savour the most delectable food, similarly, the soul which is soiled with the karmic dirt is not able to feel or depict the supreme, unbounded happiness that appertains to the liberated soul. Acarya Visuddhasagara ( 311arf faglegHIT) - the true guru Right faith (samyagdarsana), from the empirical point-of-view, is to have belief, as per the Reality, in the sect-founder (apta or deva), the Scripture (agama or sastra), and the preceptor (tapobhit or guru)1. There is, however, a caveat: the faith should be free from three kinds of follies (mudhata) - relating to the worldly customs (lokamudhata), relating to the deities (devamudhata), and relating to the preachers (gurumuuhata). The Scripture has meticulously framed rules of conduct for the ascetic (muni, sramana). While scouting a true preceptor (guru), the following excerpt from Acarya Gunabhadra's Atmanusasana is highly relevant: श्रुतमविकलं शुद्धा वृत्तिः परप्रतिबोधने परिणतिरुरूद्योगो मार्गप्रवर्तनसद्विधौ / बुधनुतिरनुत्सेको लोकज्ञता मृदुताऽस्पृहा यतिपतिगुणा यस्मिन्नन्ये च सोऽस्तु गुरुः सताम् // 6 // The one who has the wisdom about the reality of substances, has assimilated the core of the Scripture, knows the ways of the world, 1 See Acarya Samantabhadra's Ratnakarandaka-sravakacara, verse 4, p. 18. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XLVI
