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LII: PAÑCALINGĪPRAKARAŅAM
also, the most fatal poison since it kills the spirit rather than the body.
Its importance had been realised from the very early stage as is evident from the first place accorded to it amongst the three gems of the path of spiritual emancipation, namely – Samyagdarśan (Rightview), Samyagjñāna (Right-knowledge) and Samyakcāritra (Rightconduct). The Tattvārtha-sūtra very clearly states that these three, in that order, constitute the liberating path.
From the spiritual point of view, the ultimate goal of every living being is liberation from miserable mundane existence. All that aids the realisation of that goal is important. Again, it is quite logical to think that one can liberate by following the religious faith. The importance of Samyagdarśan or the right faith lies in the fact that it is at the very root of the religious faith (Damsaņa-mülao dhammo). Another view holds that liberation is possible by adhering to the ethical norms that constitute the right-conduct. Again, the logic tells us that the knowledge of the right-conduct is possible only through the right-knowledge, which is, in turn, possible only through the right-view. When information combines with perspective it becomes knowledge. In the absence of the right-perspective, given to us by holding the right-view, the knowledge becomes only a set of information and is not integrated with the intellect to be assimilated as right-knowledge. It is the perspective that converts information into knowledge and the right-perspective converts the information into right-knowledge. Therefore, there is a lot of substance to the saying contained in the 30th verse of the 28th chapter of the Uttarādhyayanasū tra – 'one who lacks vision, lacks knowledge; without knowledge the conduct does not become virtuous and without the virtuous (right)
