THE RELATIVITY OF VIRTUES AND SINS
The qualitative assessment of good and evil is always relative. On the scale of virtue you will find persons, who belong to a grade lower than yours, those who are in the same grade as your own; and others who have a much higher grade than yours. Suppose you are studying in a college. You may consider the persons with the highest character (Satoguni) studying in a class senior to your own, your classmates as students of the intermediate class (Rajoguni) and the juniors, being educated in the lower class (Tamoguni). However, as mentioned earlier, this relationship of moral status is relative. For instance, in comparison to a bandit, a thief is more virtuous (has more Satogun), because the latter is more humane.
Compared to both the thief and the dacoit, a labourer has more Satogun. A social reformer would have more Satogun than a common man, and a spiritual teacher more than that of the social worker. Thus, on the scale of Satogun, a spiritual teacher stands at a much higher level than a bandit, but he is graded lower than enlightened, liberated soul whose Silent Presence is the greatest of sermons. It does not mean that the dacoit is the most degraded soul. He is better than animal.
The superiority of spiritual status of a person is measured by the number of people being ethically benefited by his altruistic deeds. On the lowest level, a self-centered person acts only for the welfare of his own family. A dacoit does not rob members of his family. A thief does not commit theft in the house of a friend. For a social worker, welfare activities are confined to a particular class or community. The spiritual teacher works for enlightenment of all human beings.
The enlightened souls see all living beings, as manifestations of God, be it man or beast, plant or animal. In a nutshell, in the process of progressive evolution, before attaining self-realization, all living beings are at different stages of conscious awakening. Everyone lives with lack of one virtue or the other. When all impurities are removed, nothing can stop a person from reaching the ultimate state of liberation from cycles of birth and death. This is the ultimate goal of human existence.
.... to be continue
✍ЁЯП╗ Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya
ЁЯУЦ The Absolute Law Of Karma Page 44
The qualitative assessment of good and evil is always relative. On the scale of virtue you will find persons, who belong to a grade lower than yours, those who are in the same grade as your own; and others who have a much higher grade than yours. Suppose you are studying in a college. You may consider the persons with the highest character (Satoguni) studying in a class senior to your own, your classmates as students of the intermediate class (Rajoguni) and the juniors, being educated in the lower class (Tamoguni). However, as mentioned earlier, this relationship of moral status is relative. For instance, in comparison to a bandit, a thief is more virtuous (has more Satogun), because the latter is more humane.
Compared to both the thief and the dacoit, a labourer has more Satogun. A social reformer would have more Satogun than a common man, and a spiritual teacher more than that of the social worker. Thus, on the scale of Satogun, a spiritual teacher stands at a much higher level than a bandit, but he is graded lower than enlightened, liberated soul whose Silent Presence is the greatest of sermons. It does not mean that the dacoit is the most degraded soul. He is better than animal.
The superiority of spiritual status of a person is measured by the number of people being ethically benefited by his altruistic deeds. On the lowest level, a self-centered person acts only for the welfare of his own family. A dacoit does not rob members of his family. A thief does not commit theft in the house of a friend. For a social worker, welfare activities are confined to a particular class or community. The spiritual teacher works for enlightenment of all human beings.
The enlightened souls see all living beings, as manifestations of God, be it man or beast, plant or animal. In a nutshell, in the process of progressive evolution, before attaining self-realization, all living beings are at different stages of conscious awakening. Everyone lives with lack of one virtue or the other. When all impurities are removed, nothing can stop a person from reaching the ultimate state of liberation from cycles of birth and death. This is the ultimate goal of human existence.
.... to be continue
✍ЁЯП╗ Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya
ЁЯУЦ The Absolute Law Of Karma Page 44
рдХोрдИ рдЯिрдк्рдкрдгी рдирд╣ीं:
рдПрдХ рдЯिрдк्рдкрдгी рднेрдЬें