Page 136 - Courage Redifined

v) Will he vile away time in gossiping about other ?
vi) Can he cheat or betray other’s trust ?

vii) Will he bribe people or earn money through wrong
means ?
If one does not even have regret over such inner impurities
then where is the chance of eliminating them or even trying
to avoid them ? If such a state is not attained in this human
birth then what kind of a spiritual state will we take along in
the next birth ? Noble souls should understand this and should
strive to decrease these impurities instead of strengthening
them. They should exercise religion with the intention of
eliminating these weaknesses.

Can religion uproot these impurities ? Yes.

Then why can’t we see this result in people who exercise
religion ? Because they do not have the goal of uprooting
these impurities. If people do not possess the understanding
and desire to eradicate these impurities, then what can religion
do ? Can religion help you attain salvation ? Yes, but only for
those who wish to reach there. Similarly those noble souls
who have the desire to eradicate these impurities and exercise
religion with that goal, can harbour the strength to eradicate
them.

The desire to eradicate these inner impurities depicts the onset
of the “rising period”.

Do you wish to utilize this precious human birth as a ‘rising
period’ ? Then this intense desire to eliminate these vices will
lead to right efforts in the direction of eliminating hatred,
selfishness and ego which are the soul’s impurities.” Hence,
i) When the situation to succumb to such impurities arises,
one should become alert.

126 Courage Redefined