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THE WAY OF LIFE
of a person dying as a result of being beaten? Does your heart experience compassion and sympathy for the dying person or does your heart become callous, apathetic and pitiless? If you keep seeing such sights, repeatedly, your heart will become completely callous and ruthless. Even if you read books dealing with violence your minds will develop bellicosity. That is why I exhort you not to see movies. Give up reading such novels, stories and detective fiction, if you want Dharma to spring in your mind and if you want your mind to be a deep well of peace and felicity.
Are you thinking of this? How greatly your mind has putrefied? Think of this a little. At least now you stop this putrefaction or your mind will be completely putrefied and lost. In your next life, you may not even get the power of thinking.
THE IDENTIFICATION OF A PURE MIND
Benevolence and Dharma arise in a mind that is pure or in a mind in which the process of purification has begun. There should be an extreme compassion for those in distress. Do you have that compassion? Do you have at least a little of compassion? or is your mind totally devoid of such compassion? A man who is devoid of kindness and compassion cannot perform any Dharma or spiritual austerity. On account of his outward activities he may appear to be a religious man but he is not truly a religious man. In such a man, there will be only an appearance of Dharma; not its real form.
EVEN ANIMALS HAVE GRATITUDE
The king had passed a death-sentence on Androcles. As a punishment, he was thrown into the arena. A hungry lion was released into the arena from a cage. The lion began roaring and leaping; and then sprang towards Androcles ferociously. Androcles sat in a corner with his eyes closed. The lion went near him but suddenly stopped. It began licking the body of Androcles; and then it returned. It went back into its cage. The king who saw this sight from the balcony of his palace was greatly amazed. He ordered his soldiers to let loose the lion
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