Asteya

Asteya means non-stealing. It is to not take anything that is not rightfully yours. There are so many levels to what we should not steal. One would assume that it would mean not to steal anything physical from someone else, but there is much more to this than that. As well as not taking anything that is not yours, you should not give anyone else the opportunity to take anything that is not theirs. Even by giving to people we are sometimes taking away from them.

Theft of the spirit is also possible. This is done my being over-protective, or offering too much information that gets in the way of someone growing naturally. Parents can easily do this with their children and this can prevent the child from growing up to be strong and free-spirited. As a parent you should also not let your child steal from you. This can be in a manner of ways such as time or emotions and is equally valid. Independance, integrity and the ability to work for oneself can all be affected by allowing stealing to happen on both of these accounts.

You should look at the way that you live. How big is your property? If it is too big for your requirements then you are stealing from the earth. Any over consumption of consumables and the unnecesary usage of cars is also violating the earth. And when we steal from the earth we are also stealing from ourselves because the earth is there to sustain us not for us to abuse. It is alright to be wealthy providing it is within the framework of 'Dharma', your life duty. However wealth should be shared. If you are wealthy, you are duty bound to give to the correct circumstances, if you are poor you have every right to ask. If we don't share or use our wealth wisely we are breaching Asteya.

We can steal time, love, affection, space, credit/praise, ideas, thoughts, energy, independance, free-will, to name but a few. However we can also create the opportunity for others to steal allof these without realising. To become fully aware of Asteya a comprehensive self-study and awareness needs to be achieved and the more we achieve the better we become at Asteya. People steal all the time, they want to be the funniest, the most intelligent, the most popular, the fitest, the fastest, the richest and so on. In order to be these things they generally are stealing from others whether it is unconscious or not.

Here are some questions so that you can look at how Asteya fits into your life...

Do I take material things that do not belong to me?

Do I make demands on other people?

And of their time?

Emotional demands?

Physical demands?

Do I steal from the earth?

Am I environmentally friendly?

Do I car share where-ever possible?

Do I eat too much or leave food?

Is the place where I live in accordance to what is necessary to my lifestyle?

Do I steal from myself?

My time?

My strength?

My emotions?

Do I think negative things about myself?

Or others?

Do I take away opportunities that would be there or are there for others to grow?

Do I give the opportunity for other people to steal from me and do I then allow them to steal from me?

My time, affection and so forth?

Do I steal from others by giving to them even if it seems to be a nice thing to do?

What about praise, credit, independence, space and ideas?

Do I take these away from others or let them take them away from me?