Dispelling Fear Is An Act Of Compassion
Sudhamahi Regunathan
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What causes fear? A feeling of not being good enough, a feeling of insecurity with espect to a more powerful being, gnorance of the rules that operate in he world, the possibility of losing material wealth or relationships, the apprehension of being called to own up or a wrong, a revengeful enemy , the crying ache of lust. All these feelings ause or bring in their wake, exploitation.And this gives birth to fear.Jainism believes removal of all fear, known as abhayadanam, is the highest quality , greatest charity and best action ... the supreme manifestation of compassion.
Compassion is interchangeably called daya, anukampa, karunya, dana or maitri and each term has its own specific conno ations and some overlapping commona ity. Essentially they all indicate empathy with the other, a close appreciation of the other's pain, being moved by it, alleviating it by donating something and nurturing universal love towards all. Compassion is present in any of the above ideas or a combination of them.
Compassion forms the very basis of faith. The reason why dispelling of fear is considered paramount is because every soul is equal. So to cause harm to another is to cause harm to oneself. It is disrespecting the universality of the soul.Even if it be an insect or a plant.
Jaina compassion caused monks to study non-human life in such detail that they have classified them as having one, two, three, four or five senses.Further, they all also have a soul which desires to live: `To each, his life is dear'. Even the cockroach that you spray against or the mosquito that you slap dead, desires to live just as much as you or i do. Therefore it is that one finds many goshalas and bird hospitals set up by Jainas. Jainas have been leaders in setting up medical services for animals.Jaina idea of compassion goes beyond human life to all living beings. Though this is contained in their concept of ahimsa, it is more than ahimsa for it is an understanding and a true appreciation of other life ... it is not limited to just refraining from doing harm.
It may appear obvious to many , but the subtle difference in understanding compassion in the Jaina world arises because it talks about compassion at the level of the soul. To recognise that one should not cause fear and that everyone should be able to live free, s an understanding of the equality of one soul with other souls. And souls look after each other's interest. It is said souls render service to one another. The core act involved in this kind of compassion is to spread the word of restraint ... do not be led by temptation to commit remiss such that you fall low in the type of birth you may get in the next births and lose all the merits you have so far acquired. That is why much importance is given to listening to wise words, to the sermons of monks and nuns for it is generally they who direct erring followers.
Sometimes it can happen the other way round too, as in the case of a monk who was doing penance in a dancing girl's house. He was actually testing his will power and steadfastness, but lo, the charms of the lady soon made him forget that. Even as lust was overtaking his spiritual inclinations, the lady rebuked him in such a manner that he became conscious of his folly and got back to the path of rectitude. The courtesan had been compassionate to the monk of several years.
Source: Times of India, 29-03-2016
Compassion is interchangeably called daya, anukampa, karunya, dana or maitri and each term has its own specific conno ations and some overlapping commona ity. Essentially they all indicate empathy with the other, a close appreciation of the other's pain, being moved by it, alleviating it by donating something and nurturing universal love towards all. Compassion is present in any of the above ideas or a combination of them.
Compassion forms the very basis of faith. The reason why dispelling of fear is considered paramount is because every soul is equal. So to cause harm to another is to cause harm to oneself. It is disrespecting the universality of the soul.Even if it be an insect or a plant.
Jaina compassion caused monks to study non-human life in such detail that they have classified them as having one, two, three, four or five senses.Further, they all also have a soul which desires to live: `To each, his life is dear'. Even the cockroach that you spray against or the mosquito that you slap dead, desires to live just as much as you or i do. Therefore it is that one finds many goshalas and bird hospitals set up by Jainas. Jainas have been leaders in setting up medical services for animals.Jaina idea of compassion goes beyond human life to all living beings. Though this is contained in their concept of ahimsa, it is more than ahimsa for it is an understanding and a true appreciation of other life ... it is not limited to just refraining from doing harm.
It may appear obvious to many , but the subtle difference in understanding compassion in the Jaina world arises because it talks about compassion at the level of the soul. To recognise that one should not cause fear and that everyone should be able to live free, s an understanding of the equality of one soul with other souls. And souls look after each other's interest. It is said souls render service to one another. The core act involved in this kind of compassion is to spread the word of restraint ... do not be led by temptation to commit remiss such that you fall low in the type of birth you may get in the next births and lose all the merits you have so far acquired. That is why much importance is given to listening to wise words, to the sermons of monks and nuns for it is generally they who direct erring followers.
Sometimes it can happen the other way round too, as in the case of a monk who was doing penance in a dancing girl's house. He was actually testing his will power and steadfastness, but lo, the charms of the lady soon made him forget that. Even as lust was overtaking his spiritual inclinations, the lady rebuked him in such a manner that he became conscious of his folly and got back to the path of rectitude. The courtesan had been compassionate to the monk of several years.
Source: Times of India, 29-03-2016
