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them is compassion. Feelings of friendship, joy, kindness, compassion, and affection are natural to the living beings. That is why they have been included among the means of karmic stoppage. They and the auspicious volitions do not result in any fresh karmic bondage and, therefore they weaken the sinful karmic bondages and do not strengthen them. It is not the feelings of friendship, joy, kindness, compassion, and affection and the auspicious activities of mercy, charity, service, etc., that are the causes of karmic bondage but the passions that may accompany these activities are. To consider the feelings of friendship, joy, kindness, compassion, and affection as the causes of karmic bondage is to consider the basic nature of the living beings as a cause of such karmic bondage, which is quite contrary to Jaina canonical dictates and is, therefore, false belief. In sum, we can say that lack of restraint and the sinful activities like violence, lying, stealing, etc., and not the auspicious activities like mercy, charity, etc., cause worldly transmigration.
Earlier we have said that the feelings of friendship, joy, kindness, compassion, and affection are natural to the living beings and are, therefore, dharma. The living nature is infinite and limitless. The charity, gain, etc., of the detached and omniscient Lords have been said to be infinite. This is a metaphorical statement and its practical form depends on body, substance, circumstance, etc... and is, therefore, limited. This practical form strengthens the feelings of mercy, kindness, compassion, etc., and weakens the attachment. Therefore activities are the means and not the goal, because the goal is infinite and limitless whereas activity has to be limited.
Considering the means as the goal results in generating the feelings of doership towards them and gives rise to attachment in the form of desire for results whereby the feeling of aversion for anybody that may hinder such activities becomes imminent. This does not allow the spiritual aspirant to transcend the mundane feelings. Therefore, a spiritual aspirant must always be careful that his auspicious activities should not become the cause of attachment and aversion. What we
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