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FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS
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The twenty-five Kaṣāya, including the nine Nokaṣāya.Next on the long list come the twenty-five Kaṣāya (those sins which result in tying men to the cycle of rebirth). We have discussed[1] sixteen of these under the heads of anger, conceit, intrigue, and greed, and their subdivisions, and must now look at nine minor faults (Nokaṣāya) and their results. These sins are such as it is very important for ascetics to avoid, but as they are not in themselves very heinous transgressions, they do not bring such terrible consequences in their train. Nevertheless a sādhu must avoid the sin of laughter (Hāsya), for when he made the great renunciation he bade farewell to all enjoyment of merriment. If a sādhu laughs even once, some punishment will follow, and if he persists in the indulgence, it will lead to his rebirth. The next sin is worth remembering, for it brings out most clearly the difference between the Christian ideal of asceticism, as typified, for example, by St. Francis of Assisi or David Livingstone, with their joy in all the beauty and wonder of the world, and the Jaina ideal. A sādhu must not rejoice in beauty (Rati[2]) nor in the joyousness of a little child, nor in the sound of exquisite harmony, nor in the glories of art, for a religious has done with all pleasure which is worldly and arises from delight in pudgaḷa. A monk has bidden farewell also to all disgust (Arati), and must not feel dismay at the sight of an evil-looking person, or on hearing even the vilest abuse. A sādhu must be free from all fear (Bhaya) of men or animals: indeed in their scriptures he is expressly told that, even if he sees a vicious cow coming for him, he is not to leave the road, but with a mind ‘not directed to outward things’ continue in contemplation.[3] Similarly he must never indulge in grief (Śoka) through being deprived of anything, but must remain undisturbed, even if thieves rob him of his last garment. Many legends record how scrupulously good monks have abstained from the next sin,
