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PREFACE : LIII
conduct there is no liberation.'
The most important spiritual feature of right-vision is that it keeps the aspirant, endowed with it, free from sinful pursuits. The very first Jaina primary canonical scripture, Acārănga says – 'the right-visioned aspirant commits no sin (Sammattadamsī ņa karei pā vam).' There are several reasons why it is so. 1. Firstly, the right-visioned aspirant sees things in their right
perspective. His view of the fundamental verities is as it should be. He distinguishes the living from the non-living and thereby establishes a unity between his own self and the other living beings and treats them as such. He is, therefore, able to observe non--violence as per the dictates of his station
in life. 2. Secondly, such an aspirant, by virtue of his subsided passions,
controls his drives and passions and remains away from sinful
pursuits. 3. Thirdly, he is able to appreciate the duality of the soul and the
body and, thereby, distinguish between the matters spiritual and those that are physical. By concentrating on the
spiritually beneficial pursuits, he remains free from sins. 4. Fourthly, he is able to appreciate the miserable nature of
worldly existence and, therefore, strives for liberation. 5. Fifthly, his detached attitude keeps him away from many a sin. 6. Sixthly, he has a realistie view about the pleasure and pain,
loss and gain, and honour and insult and is not unduly perturbed by them and, therefore, is not given to sins of
