How we cite our quotes: (Chapter. Paragraph)
Quote #10
'Then all Doing is evil?' Kim replied, lying out under a big tree at the fork of the Doon road, watching the little ants run over his hand.
'To abstain from action is well—except to acquire merit.'
'At the Gates of Learning we were taught that to abstain from action was unbefitting a Sahib. And I am a Sahib.'
'Friend of all the World,'—the lama looked directly at Kim—'I am an old man—pleased with shows as are children. To those who follow the Way there is neither black nor white, Hind nor Bhotiyal. We be all souls seeking escape. No matter what thy wisdom learned among Sahibs, when we come to my River thou wilt be freed from all illusion—at my side. Hai! My bones ache for that River, as they ached in the te-rain; but my spirit sits above my bones, waiting. The Search is sure!' (12.45-8)
As we mentioned in our "Character Analysis" of the lama, in a lot of ways we find his spiritual perspective to be the most sympathetic and approachable one in the novel. When he says that there is truly "neither black nor white," but only "souls seeking escape," we breathe a sigh of relief: finally, someone in Kim who is not endlessly obsessed with skin color and cultural difference.
At the same time, while we like the lama's humane attitudes towards other people, we're not sure how we feel about the idea that "to abstain from action is well." Why might the lama believe that it is goodnot to act? When does the lama think that "Doing" is justifiable or worthwhile? Do you believe that it is necessary to remain outside of the everyday world in order to gain greater spiritual understanding?