RELIGST 2H03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Acharanga Sutra, Mahavira, Dhammapada

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Religious Studies
• Course: RELIGST 2H03
• Professor: Ann Pearson

Document Summary

Mischievous people often use religious faith for their own interests and to create conflict. We have to look at the real message of all these traditions. -- the dalai lama. A term shared by all indic traditions: hinduism, jainism, buddhism, sikhism. Term from sanskrit root hims, from verb to kill, injure, strike ; prefixed with a privative. A = absence of desire to kill or harm . Injurious activities inspired by self-interest lead to evil and darkness. This is what is called bondage, delusion, death, and hell. To do harm to others is to do harm to oneself. You are he whom you intend to kill! You are he over whom you intend to tyrannize!". We corrupt ourselves as soon as we intend to corrupt others. We kill ourselves as soon as we intend to kill others. Two paths: one for monks/nuns, one for laypersons. Monastics: the five great vows"; laity: the lesser vows (anuvrata)