What is Virtue and Sin?
Question
Q. what is the definition of the sinful deed and the virtuous deed? Is it always right to speak truth and wrong to tell lies?
Register Now
Register yourself to ask questions; follow and favorite any author etc.
Answer ( 1 )
Sin or virtue is not decided by the action. It is decided by your intentions within. From outside the acts seem to be same, but it depends what are our feelings within, what do we tend, what are our intentions? We have done that act in which state of consciousness, that will decide that is a sin or a virtue. It can’t be decided from outside that which act is sin or a virtue?
Mulla Nassirudin had friendship with the emperor of the country in which he lived. On day emperor said, ‘Nassirudin, I have decided who ever will tell lie will be hanged till death, so that all the citizens of our country will become truthful and honest. Every liar will get the punishment of death sentence.’
Nassirudin told the emperor that it is not possible to do so as it is very difficult to decide what is true and what is false? The emperor said, ‘What is so difficult in that? There are one dozen lawyers in our kingdom. They will decide in one moment what is true and what is lie? The person who will lie will be hanged till death, so that the people stop lying. The whole country will be filled with holy people.’
Nassirudin tried a lot to explain, but all in vain. At the end Nassirudin said that tomorrow he would explain it by giving live example. On the next morning the emperor was having a walk in his garden. Nassirudin passed through the street outside the emperor’s garden. He wished the emperor.
The emperor asked Nassirudin, ‘Where are you going this early morning?’
Nassirudin replied “I am going to get hanged till death.”
The emperor said you are a truthful person. Why will you get hanged till death? You are my childhood friend. Who will hang you till death?’
Nassirudin said, ‘That means I am lying. The statement which I gave now that ‘I am going to get hanged till death’ did I not tell lie? You have made a law that you will hang the person who will lie, so hang me till death. But remember, if you will hang me then my statement will prove to be true. But if you will do this, then you will hang a truthful person. But if you spare me, then you will spare a lair. Because I was telling that I am going to get hanged till death and you spared me, so because of not getting death sentence my statement will become false. Now tell me what will you do?’
The emperor was in a great trouble now. Nassirudin said that I want to let you know that true and false, moral and immoral, sin and virtue, religion and non religion, these terms are not so easy to be decided from outside. Some times a good deed proves to be bad. Some times a bad deed becomes good. Life is very complicated.
I would like to say the same thing that the definition of sinful deed and virtuous deed can not be decided from outside, it can be decided from within. If you are doing any deed with awareness, filled with love and compassion then it is virtue. If you do something to hurt someone, defeat someone, to make some one sad, with unawareness then it is a sin.
Try to understand with the help of an example. There is a small child who gets attracted by the sparkling flame of the oil lamp. He moves towards the flame to hold it. A lady passes from there. She looks at the scene and moves away silently. Then another lady passes from there, she is the mother of that child. She loves the child. She stops him and tell him that don’t touch the flame you will burn your hand.
The son disobeys and still tries to hold the flame. Then the mother shouts angrily. If he still disobeys, she slaps him but do not allow him to touch the flame.
Now what will you say is this act of scolding, shouting angrily, slapping, violence a sin or a virtue?
It can’t be decided outwardly from the deed. We will have to see that what is the intention of that lady? Her intention is to protect the child from burning, so she scolds him, gets angry and slaps him. Her anger and violence are inspired by compassion and that’s why it is a virtue. Love is hidden in her heart. And the first lady who saw the scene and moved away silently, did not even try to stop the child, did not do anything to save him. It can seem that she is such a kind lady; she did not hit the child. Look at this cruel mother, she is scolding and beating the child. But it can not be decided outwardly, it can be decided inwardly. The first lady is not sensitive and is rigid. The second lady is loving and compassionate.
It will have to be seen and checked that what are the internal reasons, intension and inspiration of the act? It will be decided from the act whether you are doing a socially beneficial, socially favorable act or you are doing something with the intention of hurting others. You are doing the act filled with consciousness, doing it in awakened state or doing it filled with desires, anger, greed, possessiveness, jealousy, hatred or unawareness. It will be decided by that. The inner sentiments are more important than the outer act and therefore others won’t be able to know. You will have to recognize it by yourself. Awareness, love, compassion and good wishes are the deciding factors.
– Swami Shailendra Saraswati