FOURTH LECTURE,

CALLED

RENUNCIATION OF ACTIVITY.

O long-lived (Gambusvamin)! I (Sudharman) have heard the following Discourse from the Venerable (Mahavira). We now come to the Lecture called 'Renunciation of Activity.' The contents of it are as follows:

It is the Self that may not renounce (activity),that may be accustomed to act, that may adhere to errors, that may be prone to sin, that may be thoroughly ignorant, that may be thoroughly stolid , that may not consider the operations of mind, speech, and body, that may not avoid and renounce sins.

The Venerable One has said, 'He (i.e. the Self) is uncontrolled, unresigned, does not avoid and renounce sins, is active, careless, prone to sin, thoroughly ignorant, thoroughly stolid. Though a fool does not consider the operations of his mind, speech, and body, nor does see even a dream ; still he commits sins . (1)

The opponent says to the teacher: 'There can be no sin, if (the perpetrator of an action) does not possess sinful thoughts, speech, and functions of the body, if he does not kill, if he has no internal organ, if he does not consider the operations of mind, speech, and body, if he does not see even a dream.'

[paragraph continues] What is the meaning of the opponent in making this statement? 'When there is a sinful mind, there is sin of the mind; when there is sinful speech, there is sin of the speech; when there is a sinful body, there is sin of the body. When one kills, possesses an internal organ, and considers the operations of mind, speech, and body, when one sees even a dream, then there is sin. Only he who has these qualities can commit sin.' The opponent goes on to say, 'Those who say: There is sin, though (the perpetrator of an action) does not possess sinful thoughts, speeches, and functions of the body, though he does not kill, though he does not possess an internal organ, though he does not consider the operations of mind, speech, and body, and though he does not see even a dream,--those who say this, are wrong.' (2)

Here the teacher says to the opponent: 'It is true what I have just said: there is sin, though (the perpetrator of the action) do not possess sinful thoughts, (&c., all as above, down to) though he do not see even a dream.' 'What is the reason thereof?' (The Akarya says) : 'The Venerable One has assigned the six classes of living beings as the reason: the earth-lives, (&c., all down to) movable beings. With regard to these six classes of living beings, the Self does not avoid and renounce sins, he is wicked and does harm through cruelty: (this holds good with regard to the five cardinal sins ) killing of living beings, &c. (and the passions): anger, &c. (down to) the sin of wrong belief.' (3)

(The Akarya says): 'The Venerable One has illustrated this by the example of a murderer: