Page 55 - Mystic Pathways through the Bible
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chapter one 49
Eighth Commandment
Thou shalt not steal.
The eighth commandment—Thou shalt not steal—addresses a human vice that assumes numerous forms of expression, both gross and subtle, and has many psychological implications. In Raja Yoga, asteya, or nonstealing, is one of the ve great yamas or ethical restraints. Asteya implies freedom from desiring, misappropriating or stealing the possessions of others.
The Psychological Basis of Stealing
The urge to steal results from the illusory belief that happiness comes from objects. Af icted with this deception, one can be overwhelmed by the urge to take things that seem to be giving happiness to others. It is a blend of greed, sel shness, and lack of control over the senses.
A thief steals because he feels that he cannot be happy without the objects he craves and his mind lacks the patience to earn these things in a righteous way. His mind may at rst think, “You can acquire those things by working for them.” But eventually his mind changes its perspective and says, “Why should I? Why not just enter into a crowd and pick a pocket or two! Or I can just sneak into a house,
