Virtue and Sin

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Virtue and Sin

• Punya and Papa
• (Sanskrit words)

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Virtue and Vice- Punya and Papa

• Any action by one individual which leads to the
  development of others is a virtuous deed
  (punya).
• Any action which does the opposite is a sin
  (papa).

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Punya Virtue

• Punya means that action which leads to one's
  physical, psychic and spiritual well-being.
• Kuru pun'yamahora'tram
• That is, Do pun'ya to others all day long and
  all night long.
• The real service is the service that you render
  to others for their spiritual upliftment.

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Papa Vice or Sin

• That action which leads to one's physical,
  psychic and spiritual degeneration is called
  pa'pa.
• The two types of pa'pa are
• pa'taka and
• pratyava'ya.

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Pa'taka

• If something is done which should not be done.
• If one does something which should not be done,
  such as stealing, telling lies, etc, it is called
  pa'taka.
• It is an action which harms others.

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Pataka 3 degrees

• Ordinary sin - Pataka
• the damage done can be compensated
• atonement is by compensation.
• Sin of a serious nature - Atipataka
• the damage done cannot be compensated
• atonement is by dedicating oneself to doing
  virtuous deeds.
• Sin of an extremely serious nature - Mahapataka
  
• the damage done can never be compensated for and
  has a recurring bad influence on others
• there cannot be any atonement
• rather, one will have to dedicate one's life to a
  noble cause and refrain from any type of
  pleasure-seeking.

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Pratyavaya

• Another type of sin is that which is not done but
  should be done.
• If one fails to do that which should be done,
  such as not feeding the poor or not serving the
  sick, it is called pratyava'ya.
• Pratyava'ya is more reprimandable than pa'taka.

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The three causes of Sin (Papa)

• Shortage of physical and psychic pabula.
• Non-utilization of over-accumulated physical and
  psychic pabula.
• Stagnancy (lack of movement) in the physical and
  psychic strata.

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Crime

• Going against a recognized legal code.
• The definition of crime varies from land to land.
• But cardinal human values are the same for all,
  not only for this planet but everywhere in the
  universe.
• To go against the cardinal human values is sin.

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Cardinal human values

• Universal approach and neo-humanistic spirit.
• The cardinal human values are the silver lining
  between the psycho-spiritual world and the
  spiritual world.
• They are at the meeting-point of these two strata
  - the spiritual stratum on one side and the
  psycho-spiritual stratum on the other.

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What sort of cardinal human values ?

• Cosmic sentiments.
• Universal.
• Acceptable to all.
• Elevate humanity.
• Touch the Infinite with the finite.
• Close relationship / link with mysticism.

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Found in neo-humanism

• Cardinal human values are found in neo-humanism,
  ie
• universal humanism
• spiritual humanism.
• Reflect the spirit of continuing effort towards
  welfare of the entire humanity and promotion of
  universal well-being.
• Ensure humanity does not degenerate to animality.

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Neo-humanism

• Takes spirit of humanism further and extends it
  to everything, animate and inanimate, in the
  universe.
• Elevates humanism to universalism.

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Essentials of neo-humanism

• Principle of Social Equality (liberative)
• vs
• Principle of Selfish Pleasure (degenerative)
• Everything has existential value.
• Everything has utility value.
• Human value is greater than social value.

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How to improve oneself?

• An intelligent or wise person should keep the
  ripus (internal enemies) under control and resist
  the pashas (bondages).
• Ripu internal enemy of the mind that one is
  born with.
• Pasha bondage created by ones social
  environment.

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Internal Enemies

• Ripu Internal Enemy.
• That which is inherent or intrinsic in the mind
  and expresses itself in the external world.
• They are intro-external.

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6 Internal Enemies

• Ripu Internal Enemy
• Lust / Passion (Kama)
• Anger (Krodha)
• Avarice (Lobha)
• Blind attachment / Enchantment with worldly
  objects (Moha)
• Vanity / Pride (Mada)
• Jealousy / Envy (Matsarya)

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Enemies (Ripus)

• Enemies (Ripus) should be regulated to be
  controlled.
• If an enemy (ripu) is resisted or suppressed then
  the suppressed enemy (ripu) will find expression
  through another enemy (ripu).

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Enemies (Ripus)

• If people channelise their enemy (ripu) in to the
  ardent pursuit of any finer, subtler things then
  it is easy to control the enemies (ripus).

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Bondages

• Pasha Bondage.
• That which originates in the external world and
  influences the mind.
• They are extro-internal.

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8 Bondages

• Hatred (Ghrna)
• Apprehension / Doubt (Shaunka)
• Fear (Bhayam)
• Shyness complex / Shame (Lajja)
• Censure / Back-biting - hiding something /
  suppression (Jugupsa)
• Bondage of family lineage (Kula)
• Vanity of culture (Shiila)
• False sense of prestige (Mana)

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Bondages (Pashas)

• Bondages (Pashas) should be resisted.
• The way to get rid of the bondages (pashas) is
  to expand the mind - to elevate human
  potentialities.

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Bondage (Pashas)

• The process to free the spiritual aspirant from
  all bondages, must be non-attributional because
  the bondages are all attributional.
• It must also be supra-psychic because in the
  psychic realm there are bondages.