Lessons for juniors(13)
SOURCES OF SINS (1 to 5)
We are always busy doing something good that may be helping others or being bad and causing trouble to others. When we help someone, not only does it bring comfort to that someone, but it also brings us comfort by punya. But when we cause trouble for others, it causes us to suffer too due to pap (sins). The kinds of activities that cause others to suffer are called sinful activities and they can range in various levels from a simple tale-telling to the killing. In Jainism such activities are divided into 18 categories and they are considered the sources of the sins that lead to bad karmas or pap. These pap cause trouble in our current lives as well as future lives, too. Therefore, we should be careful not to carry out any of thefollowing 18 sinful activities, which are interconnected with one another.
Let us discuss about them one by one.
Pranatipata: This word is formed by two words. 1)
pran means vitalities of living being, and 2) atipata means to
kill or to hurt. Therefore, Pranatipata means to cause suffering
or kill any of the vitalities of living beings. This is caused by
our physical activities as well as by our harsh words, or even by
our thoughts. Physical violence is easy to understand. Even then
non-vegetarian people do not realize that by eating eggs,
chicken, poultry products, fish, sea food, or flash they are
causing violence. Hunting or fishing games also cause violence.
Verbal violence is caused by name calling, and offensive,
hateful, bitter or harsh words or sentences. Let us explain
mental violence with an example. Ramesh is a tall and heavy guy
and he beats up Anil every now and then. Anil is a skinny guy and
can not win Ramesh physically. So, Anil thinks that he will make
a friendship with some bully guy and ask him for the help. He
also thinks on various other ways to get even with him. During
all these thoughts, even though he does not undertake any
physical action but his feelings were to hurt Ramesh so he gets
sins (pap) as if he was hurting Ramesh. Thus mental thoughts
affects us same way as do physical or verbal expressions.
Thinking is tremendously faster, easier, and has no inhibition
factors than actual physical or verbal activity and hence it
increases the potential of accumulation of pap (or even punya due
to good thoughts) much faster and more easily.
Some other forms of violence are piercing, crushing, binding, torturing, and overloading the animals; starving or not feeding at proper times, and exploiting laborers. Cosmetics, ivory, silk clothes, or leather articles involve the direct or indirect injury to the animals and are reasons for accumulation of sins. One should be careful even while walking, running, sitting that one does not step on the small insects like ants and tiny bugs. We should be careful not to walk on plants or grass because they have life. Taking such care is called "Jatna" "Upayoga" in Jainism. Therefore, we should be very careful and live a simple peaceful life. This leads one to be compassionate and tolerant of others.
Mrushavada: It is formed of two words. 1) Mrusha
means lie, and 2) Vada means to tell or speak. So mrushavada
means to tell a lie. Most common causes to speak a lie are anger,
greed, fear, and deception. Some other kinds of lies are
spreading rumors, revealing the secrets, writing false documents,
or not returning someone others things that were given for
safekeeping. Besides accumulating pap, by lying we lose our
friends. Therefore, we should not tell lies.
Adattadan: It is formed of two words. 1) Adatta
means without permission, and 2) adan means to take. To take a
thing without the permission of the owner or to steal is known as
adattadan. To acquire something which does not belong to us by
adopting wrong means is also considered stealing. Even if we do
not steal directly, but ask or encourage someone else to do so,
or receive or buy stolen property, evade the tax, adulterate,
keep false weights and measures to deceive people, indulge in
smuggling activities, then it is considered stealing. Once, we
start doing such things, there will be no limit as to how far we
would go. Moreover, this habit will bring calamity to other
family members too. Therefore, we should not steal.
Maithun: Maithun means being unchaste or engaging
in sensuous enjoyment. This occurs when we enter in improper
sexual activities. In Jainism, there is no place for any pre or
extra marital sexual relationship because excessive sensual
desires brings bad karmas. Even within the bounds of marriage, it
is advised to observe possible restraint. Unnatural
gratification, indulging in profuse speech, excessive passion
even for ones own spouse are considered unchaste. A person
who suffers from the high desire for lust and sensual pleasures
cannot resist temptations and indulges in immoral deeds. If there
is a control over the urge for material gratification, the sexual
desire can be restrained.
Parigraha: Attachment to the worldly possessions is
known as parigraha. Unlimited possessions and
hoarding things beyond a persons basic needs is considered
a sin. This occurs when we try to accumulate more than our needs.
We should not keep too many vehicles, too large a house, too many
vacation homes, of too many things such as toys, furniture,
clothes, etc. We should learn to live happily with what our needs
are rather than accumulating more just because we like those
things. This is easy to say, but rather hard to follow. We should
remember that unnecessary accumulation is the root cause of all
unrest and that keeps our craving alive for more possessions.
Therefore, we should be content and should learn to control our
desires.