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THE WAY OF LIFE
inaccurate. The normal human tendency is to judge a man's virtues or faults by his external austerities and activities. Refrain from estimating the internal virtues and faults on the basis of appearances. Scrutinize your own inner self. Ask your inner self, "May I think that you do not even entertain the thought of causing harm to others? Do you entertain the idea of removing the sorrow of others or not? May I hope that you do not feel jealous of others when you see merits in them or when you hear about their merits? May I hope that you do not have hatred or contempt for sinners ?"
If you regard every living being in the Samsar as a friend; and if you have amity for every friend, then if that friend happens to fall into sorrow, you would naturally think of removing his sorrow. Compassion decimates the sorrows of others. Compassion impels you to remove the sorrows of others. How can you tolerate the sorrows of a friend ? When a friend of yours is in distress, can you have peace of mind ?
THE THREE SPECIALITIES OF THE SOUL
When the soul in its gradual pilgrimage of progress and development, reaches, in comparison with time, the supreme and final state of retreating from pudgals i.e., when Kevaljnanis (those who have attained the supreme knowledge) think that the soul will attain salvation within a definite period of time, three special qualities appear in it.
(1) An extreme kindness for the beings in distress; (2) Absence of hatred for the men of virtues; (3) Propriety of conduct in all places.
ORDINARY COMPASSION; BOUNDLESS COMPASSION
Please see which quality has been mentioned first here. Kindness has been mentioned first; is it not so ? Call it kindness; or call it compassion, it is the same. In such a Jivatma, there appears not ordinary kindness but extreme and boundless kindness.
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