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NEW IDEOLOGIES NEW TRADITION
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'Who are termed as monks by such knowledgeable beings, sir?'
Said the Lord, 'Adept at knowledge and wisdom Engaged in austerities and penances The ones accomplished thus, Are termed as monks by the wise '1
The Vedic tradition esteemed householdership and the shraman one monkhood Spiritual pursuit does not borrow its existence from outward marks It owes its existence to restraint
Abhayakumar enquired of the Lord, 'Sirel Pray let me know which of the two is superior, a monk or a householder'
Said the Lord, 'I pronounce restraint as covetable Householder and monk, both, excel if austere Indulgent householder and monk, both, are reprehensible'
'Are shramanas also indulgent, sire?' 'The inner light blesses neither all the monks, Nor all the householders There be many austere householders, Monks are inequal in austerity, Householders may excel over some monks Monks excel over all householders 2
The Lord extolled austerity so highly that the external marks and the garb lost all relevance Monkhood was installed in the evershining moral light instead of its accepted outward marks
3 Spirituality and Religion
Were possible for the flame to exist without the lamp, for the fruit without the peeling and for the knowledge without the language, spirituality could have existed shorn of religion The situation is inconceivable If spiritualism be the flame, religion is its lamp If spiritualism be the pulp of the fruit, re
1 "Dasvealıyam 7/48 49 2 Uttarazhayani' 5/19, 20
