The Truth

Author(s): O P Jain
Publisher: Veer Nirvan Granth Prakashan Samiti

Page 62

THE SEVEN TATTVAS
53
(iii)
To love the virtuous saints without feeling disgust with their outwardly unclean bodies. All bodies are truly bundles of filth and if at all, the saint's body contains less filth than of those who appear clean outwardly. So far as the purity of soul is concerned, there is no comparision. The very act of disgust is an indication of the soul being dirty-full of ignorance and sin. Neglect of body is an absolutely unavoidable necessity for the progress to nirvana.
(iv) Non-recognition of the authority of false creeds. (v) To remove the ridicule raised by persons ignorant of the
path of liberation. (vi) To re-establish right faith in those who are wavering. (vii) To entertain love and respect for those who are fellow
travellers on the path of liberation. (viii) To establish the glory of the True path to liberation.
A person with right faith is free from the following three follies :
(i) to consider spiritual uplift by bathing in so-caled sacred
rivers, immolating oneself by falling from a precipice or
by being burnt. (ii) worshipping with desire, to obtain favour of deties whose
minds are full of likes and dislikes. (iii) worshipping of false ascetics who have neither renounced
worldly goods not himsa. The eight kinds of pride which a person with right faith, leaves are the pride of (i) learning, (ii) worship, (iii) family (iv) tribe, (v) power (vi) accomplishments, (vii) religious austerity and (viii) his own body.
Right Faith even without right conduct (as in householders) is said to be superior to all the asceticism devoid of right faith. Right Faith is the sure step towards liberation. With right faith the impulses of passion are loosened from their roots and are not able to dominate the scene. The soul gets a chance to think rationally and act accordingly.
5.12.2 Right Conduct : This is of two kinds—perfect (meant for ascetics) and imperfect (meant for laymen).