Way of Life Part 2

Author(s): Bhadraguptasuri
Publisher: Vishvakalyan Prakashan Trust Mehsana

Page 93

DISCOURSE 30
your attachment for wealth or your attachment-consciousness, it is impossible to act according to law and morality.
However strongly we may exhort you to give up the path of immorality and unlawfulness, our exhortations will not produce any effect upon you as long as attachment-consciousness is strong and firm in you.
WILL YOU DISCARD THE UNRIGHTEOUS WAYS OF EARNING MONEY ?
You believe that materialistic possessions are a means for the attainment of happiness. You say that materialistic possessions are sinful but you believe that they accrue from your merit. You become strongly attached to the means of sensual pleasures that result from Punyakarma or merit. You have the strong belief; “We can attain as much happiness as the wealth that is in our possession. So we shall go on accumulating wealth as much as we can. We need not care for morality and legality in our endeavour to accumulate wealth. We shall take any step and we shall follow any path to earn money”. You think thus; do you not ? Exhortations cannot exercise any effect upon people who think thus.
Once, we went to a town. An affluent householder came to me. From a conversation I had with him, I found out that his occupation was not lawful. Of course, he was carrying on some spiritual activities but he was not prepared to discard his illegal and immoral ways. The hearts of those who follow immoral and illegal ways are not soft and tender; they are callous and unkind. I said to the wealthy man, "If you follow the path of immorality and unlawfulness your heart becomes cruel; and Dharma cannot remain in such a heart. Therefore, you give up this wrong path.” When I did not commend his spiritual activities and when I exhorted him to give up his immoral and illegal ways, he did not like my words and went away. Will you pay heed to my exhortations and give up the ways which are illegal and immoral and by which you are earning money ?