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SAMAYASARA.
91
Commentary. Non-self, whether merit or demerit, is not conducive to the freedom of the Soul. People generally love merit and hate demerit, because the latter brings pain and the former pleasure. Really pleasure also is not beneficial, because a mundane soul indulging in sense-pleasures remains aloof from the path of spiritual purity. Every gratification of sense-pleasure creates desire for further gratification. For obtaining such gratification one has to employ means, which may be fair or foul, and he inevitably binds bad karmas, He goes on sinking deeper and deeper in the mire and his chances of extricating himself become lesser and lesser. A wise man should wean himself away from both merit and demerit, and concentrate all attention to contenplation of the pure soul. From the practical point of view, people prefer merit to demerit, and therefore engage them selves in such acts and thoughts as bring in merit for the following reasons.
(1) Cause of bondage of each is different ; good thoughts bring merit, and bad thoughts demerit.
(2) Nature of each is different. Good karmas are pleasurebearing feeling-karma, high family, good body-making, good age karma classes, while bad karmas are pain-bearing feeling-karma, low family, bad body-making, bad age-karma and the four destructive karmas, knowledge obscuring conation-obscuring, delusion, and obstructive karmas.
(3) Fruition of each is different. Merit results in pleasure and demerit in pain.
(4) The result in each is different Merit leads on to the path of liberation, and demerit to the path of bondage.
From the real point of view however both merit and demerit lead the soul further into the vortex of transmigration because :
(1) Both are caused by impure passionate thought-activity of soul, (2) both have got material karmic nature; (3) fruition of both is harmful to real happiness of soul, and (4) both lead towards the path of bondage.
A wise right believer should therefore see that merit and demerit both are derogatory to the path of liberation, and true peace and happiness. Thus he should have regard and liking only for self-absorption, based on right belief, right knowledge and right conduct of soul in its own true nature, as the true path of liberation. Although in the lower spiritual stages, where long-continued selfabsorption is not possible, one is obliged to take resort to good deeds, such as, worship of Arhats and saints, devotion to and services of
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