Jainism

By the adoration of the twenty-four Ginas the soul arrives at purity of faith.

By praises and hymns he obtains the wisdom consisting in knowledge, faith, and conduct; …

"The beautiful (gods) with joined hands praise and worship the highest Lord (i.e. the Tîrthakara) as the planets, &c., (praise) the moon.

By doing service he acquires the Karman which brings about for him the nâman and gôtra of a Tîrthakara.

Indifferent to worldly objects, a man should wander about treating all creatures in the world so as he himself would be treated.

'Frequently (I have been born) in a high family, frequently in a low one; I am not mean, nor noble, nor do I desire (social preferment).' Thus reflecting, who would brag about his family or about his glory, or for what should he long?

As it would be unto thee, so it is with him whom thou intendest to kill. As it would be unto thee, so it is with him whom thou intendest to tyrannise over. As it would be unto thee, so it is with him whom thou intendest to torment. … The righteous man who lives up to these sentiments, does therefore neither kill nor cause others to kill (living beings). …

"One does not become a Sramana by the tonsure, nor a Brâhmana by the sacred syllable ôm, nor a Muni by living in the woods, nor a Tâpasa by wearing (clothes of) Kusa-grass and bark. "One becomes a Sramana by equanimity, a Brâhmana by chastity, a Muni by knowledge, and a Tâpasa by penance. "By one's actions one becomes a Brâhmana, or a Kshattriya, or a Vaisya, or a Sûdra.

By renouncing pleasures he obtains freedom from false longing, whereby he becomes compassionate, humble, free from sorrow, …

A pious man shows an island to the beings which are carried away (by the flood of the Samsâra) and suffer for their deeds. This place of safety has been proclaimed (by the Tîrthakaras).

By begging forgiveness he obtains happiness of mind; thereby he acquires a kind disposition towards all kinds of living beings; by this kind disposition he obtains purity of character and freedom from fear.

By begging forgiveness he obtains happiness of mind; thereby he acquires a kind disposition towards all kinds of living beings; by this kind disposition he obtains purity of character and freedom from fear.

When the great sage was thus refused by the priest, he was neither angry nor pleased, as he always strove for the highest good. Not to obtain food, or drink, or whatever else he wanted, but to save these people he spoke the following words:

By repenting of one's sins to oneself the soul obtains repentance, and becoming indifferent by repentance he prepares for himself an (ascending) scale of virtues, by which he destroys the Karman resulting from delusion. By repenting of one's sins before the Guru the soul obtains humiliation; feeling humiliated, he will leave off all blameable occupations, and apply himself to praiseworthy occupations, …

By sincerity in religious practice he obtains proficiency in it; being proficient in it he will act up to his words.

'Men frequently apply punishment wrongly: the innocent are put in prison, and the perpetrator of the crime is set at liberty.'

By simplicity he will become upright in actions, thoughts, and speech, and he will become veracious; thereby he will truly practise the Law.

"He who does not speak untruth from anger or for fun, from greed or from fear, him we call a Brâhmana. "He who does not take anything that is not given him, be it sentient or not sentient, small or large, him we call a Brâhmana.

"The beautiful (gods) with joined hands praise and worship the highest Lord (i.e. the Tîrthakara) as the planets, &c., (praise) the moon.

By humility he will acquire freedom from self-conceit; thereby he will become of a kind and meek disposition, and avoid the eight kinds of pride.

'Frequently (I have been born) in a high family, frequently in a low one; I am not mean, nor noble, nor do I desire (social preferment).' Thus reflecting, who would brag about his family or about his glory, or for what should he long?

"Bravo! you have conquered anger; bravo! you have vanquished pride; bravo! you have banished delusion; bravo! you have subdued greed. "Bravo for your simplicity, O saint! bravo for your humility, O saint! bravo for your perfect patience! bravo for your perfect liberation!

But for the following fifteen good qualities he is called well-behaved: if he is always humble, steady, free from deceit and curiosity; if he abuses nobody; … if he is not proud of his learning; if he does not find fault with others; if he is not angry with friends; if he speaks well even of a bad friend behind his back; if he abstains from quarrels and rows; …

By doing service he acquires the Karman which brings about for him the nâman and gôtra of a Tîrthakara.

… if he is malicious, egoistical, greedy, without self-discipline; if he does not share with others; if he is always unkind: then he is called ill-behaved.

By conquering anger he obtains patience; he acquires no Karman productive of anger, and destroys the Karman he had acquired before.

"He who thoroughly knows living beings, whether they move or not, and does not injure them in any of the three ways, him we call a Brâhmana.

The enlightened and liberated monk should control himself, whether he be in a village or a town, and he should preach to all the road of peace; Gautama, &c.

The Buddhas that were, and the Buddhas that will be, they (as it were) have Peace as their foundation, even as all things have the earth for their foundation.

When the great sage was thus refused by the priest, he was neither angry nor pleased, as he always strove for the highest good. Not to obtain food, or drink, or whatever else he wanted, but to save these people he spoke the following words:

The Arhats and Bhagavats of the past, present, and future, all say thus, speak thus, declare thus, explain thus: all breathing, existing, living, sentient creatures should not be slain, nor treated with violence, nor abused, nor tormented, nor driven away.

As it would be unto thee, so it is with him whom thou intendest to kill. As it would be unto thee, so it is with him whom thou intendest to tyrannise over. As it would be unto thee, so it is with him whom thou intendest to torment. … The righteous man who lives up to these sentiments, does therefore neither kill nor cause others to kill (living beings). …

… All beings hate pains; therefore one should not kill them. This is the quintessence of wisdom: not to kill anything. Know this to be the legitimate conclusion from the principle of the reciprocity with regard to non-killing. He should cease to injure living beings whether they move or not, on high, below, and on earth. For this has been called the Nirvâna, which consists in peace.

"He who thoroughly knows living beings, whether they move or not, and does not injure them in any of the three ways, him we call a Brâhmana.

Earth-lives are individual beings, so are water-lives, fire-lives, and wind-lives; grass, trees, corn; And the remaining, (viz.) the movable beings; thus are enumerated the six classes of living beings; these are all the living beings, there are no more besides.

'If there were numberless mountains of gold and silver, as big as Kailâsa, they would not satisfy a greedy man; for his avidity is boundless like space. 'Knowing that the earth with its crops of rice and barley, with its gold and cattle, that all this put together will not satisfy one single man, one should practise austerities.'

To a monk who has left his sons and wives, and who has ceased to act, nothing pleasant can occur, nor anything unpleasant.

By conquering anger he obtains patience; he acquires no Karman productive of anger, and destroys the Karman he had acquired before.

Despised by such-like people, the wise man, with undisturbed mind, sustains their words and blows, as a rock is not shaken by the wind.

And if any accidents whatever befall him who has gained that (foundation), he will not be overpowered by them as a mountain by the storm.

As the fallow leaf of the tree falls to the ground, when its days are gone, even so the life of men (will come to its close); Gautama, be careful all the while! As a dew-drop dangling on the top of a blade of Kusa-grass lasts but a short time, even so the life of men; Gautama, be careful all the while!

'Happy are we, happy live we who call nothing our own; when Mithilâ is on fire, nothing is burned that belongs to me.

By renouncing pleasures he obtains freedom from false longing, whereby he becomes compassionate, humble, free from sorrow, …

By watchfulness of the mind he concentrates his thoughts; thereby he truly practises control. By watchfulness of speech he keeps free from prevarication; thereby he enables his mind to act properly.

"Bravo! you have conquered anger; bravo! you have vanquished pride; bravo! you have banished delusion; bravo! you have subdued greed. "Bravo for your simplicity, O saint! bravo for your humility, O saint! bravo for your perfect patience! bravo for your perfect liberation!

'If there were numberless mountains of gold and silver, as big as Kailâsa, they would not satisfy a greedy man; for his avidity is boundless like space. 'Knowing that the earth with its crops of rice and barley, with its gold and cattle, that all this put together will not satisfy one single man, one should practise austerities.'

But for the following fifteen good qualities he is called well-behaved: if he is always humble, steady, free from deceit and curiosity; if he abuses nobody; … if he is not proud of his learning; if he does not find fault with others; if he is not angry with friends; if he speaks well even of a bad friend behind his back; if he abstains from quarrels and rows; …

'Though a man should conquer thousands and thousands of valiant (foes), greater will be his victory if he conquers nobody but himself. 'Fight with your Self; why fight with external foes? He who conquers himself through himself, will obtain happiness. 'The five senses, anger, pride, delusion, and greed--difficult to conquer is one's self; but when that is conquered, everything is conquered.'

Therefore, seeker after the highest truth, study the sacred lore, in order to cause yourself and others to attain perfection.

The enlightened and liberated monk should control himself, whether he be in a village or a town, and he should preach to all the road of peace; Gautama, &c.

By possession of knowledge he acquires an understanding of words and their meaning; thereby he will not perish in the forest of the fourfold Samsâra; as a needle with its thread will not be lost, thus the soul possessing the sacred lore will not be lost in the Samsâra; …

By study he destroys the Karman which obstructs right knowledge. By the recital of the sacred texts he obtains destruction of Karman, and contributes to preserve the sacred lore, … By questioning (the teacher) he arrives at a correct comprehension of the Sûtra and its meaning, and he puts an end to the Karman which produces doubts and delusion.

"One does not become a Sramana by the tonsure, nor a Brâhmana by the sacred syllable ôm, nor a Muni by living in the woods, nor a Tâpasa by wearing (clothes of) Kusa-grass and bark. "One becomes a Sramana by equanimity, a Brâhmana by chastity, a Muni by knowledge, and a Tâpasa by penance. "By one's actions one becomes a Brâhmana, or a Kshattriya, or a Vaisya, or a Sûdra.

This is the road to it: to serve the Gurus and the old (teachers), to avoid throughout foolish people, to apply oneself earnestly to study, and to ponder zealously on the meaning of the Sûtras.

Then the Venerable Ascetic Mahâvîra, while in her womb, formed the following resolution: 'It will not behove me, during the life of my parents, to tear out my hair, and leaving the house to enter the state of houselessness.'

As the fallow leaf of the tree falls to the ground, when its days are gone, even so the life of men (will come to its close); Gautama, be careful all the while! As a dew-drop dangling on the top of a blade of Kusa-grass lasts but a short time, even so the life of men; Gautama, be careful all the while!

Acquire perfect knowledge of the Law! why do you not study it? It is difficult to obtain instruction in it after this life. The days (that are gone by) will never return, nor is it easy a second time to obtain human birth. See, young and old men, even children in the mother's womb die. As a hawk catches a quail, so (life) will end when its time is spent.

Knowing pain and pleasure in all their variety, and seeing his life not yet decline, a wise man should know that to be the proper moment (for entering a religious life); while the perceptions of his ear, eye, organs of smelling, tasting, touching are not yet deteriorated, while all these perceptions are not yet deteriorated, man should prosecute the real end of his soul. Thus I say.

By doing service he acquires the Karman which brings about for him the nâman and gôtra of a Tîrthakara.

You have crossed the great ocean; why do you halt so near the shore? make haste to get on the other side; Gautama, &c.

There are ten kinds of service, as serving the Âkârya, &c.; doing service consists in giving one's assistance as well as one is able.

This is the road to it: to serve the Gurus and the old (teachers), to avoid throughout foolish people, to apply oneself earnestly to study, and to ponder zealously on the meaning of the Sûtras.