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Answer - Auspicious activities are meritorious as well as dharma. Not only this, merit and dharma go together. Therefore, where there will be dharma, there will be merit also. No creature devoid of merit can ever be religious. Merit is as inseparably together with dharma as the shadow is with the body. Dharma and merit cannot be viewed in isolation of each other. The reason being that the auspiciousness has two aspects – 1. Volitional and 2. Practical. The volitional aspect of auspiciousness lies in giving up passions born out of attachmentaversion and sensory cravings. Their practical form is in pursuing auspicious activities of mercy, kindness, compassion, charity, service, affection, etc... This practical aspect of auspiciousness itself is known as merit or punya. These two are the two sides of the same coin that cannot be separated. Therefore, where there will be dharma, there will be merit also and where there will be merit, there will be dharma too. By definition punya is what purifies the soul and that is dharma too. It cannot be called adharma. That is why the auspicious activities of mercy, kindness, compassion, charity, service, etc., have been said to be dharma in Jainism.
4. Objection - In the pursuit of auspicious activities of mercy, kindness, etc.,. there is always violence towards static one sensed and other moving creatures. Violence is sin and a cause of karmic bondage. Therefore, they are abandonable for an ascetic.
Answer - The violence that is caused against the one sensed and other moving creatures while pursuing the auspicious activities is unintentional. It is not only not done deliberately but all care is taken to minimise such violence. The causes of karmic bondage due to violence are intent and yoga – the combination of body, mind and speech. The karmic bondage takes place when both these causes are present. Only intent or only yoga cannot incur the karmic bondage. Therefore, the activity in which both these causes are present results in karmic bondage. If the bondage be assumed in the absence of intent to do, get done or approval of the act in question, then the activities like sitting, rising, speaking, walking, etc., of the fully detached Lords Jina,
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Positive Non-Violence
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