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THE WAY OF LIFE
and cultured people has two aspects; namely, the aspect of virtues; and the aspect of action and conduct. You should praise the virtues of noble and cultured people; and you should also praise their actions and conduct. If there is no need or occasion to converse with anyone you must observe the austerity of silence.
From the Audience: Who are noble and cultured people?
Maharajashri: Those who are intimate with men that observe vows of austerity and that are of ripe knowledge; and obtain from such men ethical and elevated training, are called noble and cultured people. You must possess intimacy with those great men who carry out austerities and who have attained self-realization. That intimacy should not be one of knowing each other by name and appearance; or one of external courtesy and formality; but it must be an intimacy of pure and selfless hearts. It must be an intimacy of hearts. That intimacy should bring about self-realization in you. Your life must become permeated by Dharma. It must enable you to acquire many special virtues. When all these things take place in a man, he becomes noble and cultured.
Of course, this fourth ordinary principle is not related to making you noble and cultured. It exhorts you to praise the noble and cultured people. It is certainly good, if you can become noble and cultured. But in the primary stage, it is hard to attain nobility and culture. But it is essential that you should praise the noble and cultured people.
DEVELOP AN EYE FOR VIRTUES
From the Audience: How can we develop intimacy with noble and cultured people?
Maharajashri By admiring their special and pure activities. You must always remember that no noble and cultured man is absolutely perfect, omniscient and vitrag (one who has attained a victory over the inner enemies). Those cultured people are householders. That means they live in Samsar; those souls live in the disguised state as human beings; therefore,
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