Approaching the West — Page 105
A pproaching the West—105 most one may assume is that humans are self-centered by nature, and gratifications of some basic instincts may be expected. However, this tendency does not make a person a sinner until a clear commandment of God, or some rule of moral or spiritual discipline is broken with calculated intent. Frailty of human character is taken into consideration, but still sin cannot be attributed as innate to human nature. Another way to understand the nature of sin is by defining it as “missing the mark. ” But this does not imply that all human imperfections are sins. If a student misses good grades in an examination, it is no sin. A person in good health may fall ill, but this does not make him or her sinner. Thousands of job applications are declined every day; neither the applicants, nor the employers feel any spiritual degradation. “Missing the mark” is a vague expression, therefore, it is necessary to define the ultimate standard, the benchmark relevant to sin. For example, if the objective is to have a loving relationship with God, then any act, thought, or tendency that keeps the believer away from God’s love would become a sin. This would also include the factors that may lead a person towards an act of sinfulness. If the goal of life is to achieve “nirvana,” then one must prepare himself or herself to advance on the path of spiritual progress in stages by remaining good and avoiding evil. There are many pitfalls in the realms of “desire,” and “form. ” A misstep, any sign of enslavement to inappropriate cravings, may bring the soul down into countless hells, because missing the mark is a sin! An act committed against the voice of pure conscience could also be deemed as sin. ‘Conscience’ is considered by some as a God-given gift, deeply embedded in every human