________________
277.
278.
The state of the enlightened one has been said to be the state of saintliness; the state of the enlightened one has also been proclaimed to be the state of spiritual awakening and spiritual knowledge; again, the state of the enlightened one has been said to be the state of Nirvana (supreme peace). Finally, the enlightened person has been regarded as the realiser of the highest object in life. Therefore, my reverence is for him The happiness of those who have been adorned with spiritual experience is excellent, supersensuous, unique, infinite, incessant and is born of the self. In the mind of the saint for whom pleasure and pain are basically the same, there do not exist any attachment and aversion in regard to things and there does not occur spiritual forgetfulness (in his mind). Besides, neither the auspicious (Karma) nor the inauspicious (Karma) creep into his self.
279.
(C) Reconciliation between Transcendental
Conduct and Empirical Conduct:
280.
281
282
Transcendental experience is an end-in-itself. Good conduct (from the empirical standpoint) is its means. Hence accepting both of them in succession, all of you should understand this. As a rule, there is also external purity of conduct by virtue of internal purification. It is by internal impureness alone that man commits external wrongs. (When) there exists the mental state devoid of lust, conceit, deceite and greed, there occurs unsulliedness in the psychical state (of a person). This has been pronounced by the omniscients for the releasable souls. Having renounced immoral acts, even if a person who has progressed adequately in moral conduct does not cast aside attachment, spiritual perversion, etc., he does not apprehend the pure self. Just as vicious acts (bad mental tensions) have been restrained through virtuous acts (good mental tensions), so also virtuous acts (good mental tensions) have been restrained through spiritual experience. Therefore, the yogi (saint) should meditate on his own virtuous and spiritual nature in this successive order.
283
284.
Samaņasuttam-Vol. I
77
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