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as his equal. By this feeling of equality and oneness one develops a liking for others, and where there is a feeling of liking, others' pleasure becomes one's own pleasure. In this kind of feeling one cannot bear to see others in pain. His feelings become universal. As has been said in the īsopanişad -
Yasya sarvāṇi bhūtāni, ātmanyevānupaśyati |
Sarvabhūteșu cātmānam, tato na vijugupsate II That is, - One who is endowed with affection sees everyone as his own self and sees himself in all the living beings, He does not hate anyone and considers everyone as his own. The distinction between the own and the other vanishes and he submits everything that is his in the service of all. Where there is an expectation to gain something from someone, there is the feeling of attachment there and where there is pleasure in submitting the self in the service of the others there is affection. When the affection comes the attachment goes away. Sympathy -
The measure of the development of affection is nothing but sensitivity. Any heart that moves at seeing others in pain is a sensitive heart. It is the sensitive heart that is endowed with the feeling of sympathy. A sympathetic person cannot bear to see anyone in pain and he cannot rest without ameliorating it. He feels for, and renders all possible help to anyone in pain that he comes across.
The canonical literature says that anyone with a developed sense of vision is sensitive and sympathetic. Sensitivity is the indicator of his development and sympathy is the indicator of his sensitivity. Thus, sympathy is the indicator of one's stage of development of the soul. Where there is no sympathy, there is no consciousness but inertia and insensitivity and delusion. Actually, the development of sensitivity itself is the development of consciousness. The sensitivity of the vegetation is more developed than that of earth-bodied creatures. Similarly the sensitivities of creatures become more and more developed - infinite times at each stage - as they evolve from one-sensed beings
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Positive Non-Violence
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