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DISCOURSE 22
373
There will not be any necessity of the quality of neutrality if in this world, all are polite and good-natured. But in this world always good and evil exist side by side. Good and evil existed even in the days of Thirthankars. Just as Samsar is without a beginning and an end, even the evils of samsar are without a beginning and an end. There is no end to evils. The Tirtankars and many saintly men endeavoured successfully to get free from the evils of the worldly life; and some jivatmas have also attained liberation from the evils of Samsar. But the evils of Samsar cannot be totally removed. If all the evils disappear from Samsar then what difference can be there between Samsar and Moksha? Samsar abounds in evils; and so it abounds in sorrows; there is not even a single evil in the ideal state or Moksha; so, that state does not contain even a single sorrow.
IN LIFE THERE ARE SOME WHO CAN NEVER BE INFORMED
There are some people who become transformed and reformed by the persuasions of the enlightened. In other words, on account of the exhortations of the enlightened, they become reformed. Some wicked people become reformed on account of such a cause. Some become reformed by themselves when the time has ripened. But some people in this life never reform themselves. They never discard their vices. Even if they are given a million precepts, they do not reform themselves. Even if they get inspiring and noble occasions and causes they do not become reformed. We have to adopt the attitude of neutrality towards such people while seeing them, while speaking to them and while thinking of them. If we adopt such an attitude towards them, we will not treat them with anger, abhorrence or contempt. Your minds will not be polluted by those evil qualities.
KEEP OFF ABHORRENCE AND CONTEMPT
We can find all kinds of people in this world. Such people can be seen even among friends and relatives. If a man who comes within your range and contact commits a wicked action.
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