________________
ADHARMA
111
Not to oppose persecution is to encourage it, and hence it is a sin.
Renunciation and Involvement
There has been a conflict between renunciation and involvement since times immemorial. Some people ley emphasis on renunciation while others on involvement. But I believe that the conflict is not between renunciation and involvement but between the excesses of the two. Therefore, so far as possible, an ascetic should avoid both the extremes Whereas excessive renunciation tends to make the ascetic inactive, excessive involvement may land him into the fray of conflicts and struggles of the world. Therefore the right course is to find out a middle path between these two extremes, in conformity with the demands of time, place and action.
Rama and Ravana
Power in itself is not bad. What is needed is that you must be the master of your power, and not its slave, Rama was the master of his power, while Ravana was its slave. Both of them had powers, yet there was a great difference between the two. Power is not bad ; what is bad is being a slave to it.
The Greatest Sin
A question was once put to an English physician : “What is the greatest disease ?" The physician replied, "The greatest disease is to undermine a disease.” If you ask me what is the greatest sin, I would say : “The greatest sin is not to take sin as sin."
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
