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STAGES OF SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT
173 4. The person who wishes to advance in spiritual progress should appreciate the conduct, life and doing of tr: 'y experienced persons. He may not be able to act as they d. but he can appreciate the actions.
By experienced persons is meant persons who are experienced by reason of having come in contact with the wise. They would always try to do good to people who need to be done good to. They would always be grateful for kindness. They would even give up their own less important business to do some more important thing for others. They would never malign, slander, or libel. They do not grieve at losses, or get elated at prosperity. They do not use too many words. They do not make enemies through recklessness. They would always fulfil their promises. Such experienced people are called sista.
5. Rule 5 is with regard to the degree in which the sense pleasures should be enjoyed and controlled. The man having been for all time in the past enjoying the pleasures of the senses cannot at once give them up, and, therefore, some only need to be given up at first; and so he may enjoy sense pleasures to a degree commensurate with his business and household duties, that is to say, he should give up those sense pleasures which conflict with his duties. And he should control all those sense enjoyments which would encourage or feed any of the following six things, namely :
(a) Kāma or sexual passion, lust, the lustful eye in regard to a woman or girl not the man's own wife. This passion in this form should be conquered.
(b) Krodha must be conquered. It is that emotion which is the cause of hurting or injuring done in a rash way. This may be called “anger'. There are two elements in it (1) injury to another, and (2) rashness of the action or speech.
(c) Lobha (greed) must be conquered; it is either or both of the following two modes of being greedy: (1) Not relieving a genuine case of distress when you are appealed to or that comes to your notice, you, of course, being able to give the relief. (2) Taking property from people in an illegitimate way without any
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