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Religion is not for criticizing, it is not the religions business because then it becomes the individual s affair and responsibility to bear the consequences. Religion should not be there to create fear or dogmas within the individual. It is a lighthouse that simply shows the right way of thinking and leaves it to the individual to make the decision.
To me the JAIN teachings are a RELIGION but not a religion as it is traditionally understood, but as a Dharma. There is no proper translation for the word Dharma in the English language. Traditionally, religion is the joining together of somebody or something. Conventionally, the meaning of religion is religare meaning to unite, to tie. It is a Latin word, meaning you put together, you tie together. It also means rely . A dependence on something. For me it is Dharma, which needn t tie or join with anybody or anything-. Dharma means simply to find your own nature. So the original word as I have understood it is Dharma. Dharma means nature. Everything has a nature. The salt s nature is salty. Fire s nature is to burn. The tree s nature is to grow. Everything has its own nature. In the same way, our consciousness, our self also has its own nature. So Mahavira somewhere had mentioned Vathu Sahavo Dhammo ; Vathu means thing, Sahavo means true nature or essence and Dhammo means Dharma. What is Dharma ? Dharma is the realization of the true nature of things. In man it is the nature of consciousness. One has to know what is the nature of self, as we know the nature of the fire and we know how to use it. We know the nature of the water, so we know which water to drink, salty water etc. So everything has its own nature. Instead of going outside and looking for answers, we have to go inside to find out what is my nature , what is my longing, what is my quest? What am I living for, what is my purpose? Ît makes us realize that in spite of having all other things, when we don't have love, we feel dry. A person may become a king, become very rich and famous, but realizes that if he does not have love, he may feel dry. The practice of religion, the spirit of Dharma is the realization of the true nature within us. When we realize ourselves we are able to see the same quality or essence in others. Then there is no separation between thou and I, you and me; there is only unity with all life.
What is the vision of the future. How can the JAIN teaching help mankind to evolve and enhance man s eternal journey in the seemingly limited span of a lifetime? Whatever we do, we should do for ourselves, not for legacy or to measure how much of the world we can change. Gandhi did not care for legacy and if he did, it was not his intent. Legacy is to nourish the ego. We should not do for a legacy . The reward and joy of those who are helping others, and living a life of character is for themselves. They are bringing excellence in their own lives. That becomes a joy for that person. They are not doing it for others. They don t think in terms of changing others. In the process of evolution others should not be at the back of the mind. That will divide and create a split personality. They will say that I want to do something for the world, but others are not cooperating with me. Is what I am doing worth the effort ? Can I really change this world or make a difference ? This will create frustration for the individual. So whatsoever you do you do it for your own clarity and purity and THAT becomes YOUR reward. So first we must sterilize our hands before performing an operation on others. We're ready to help others when we are not attached to the result of what we're doing but finds joy in the process of what we're doing. The flower does not measure its beauty by the number of people it attracts. The flower does not count. It simply lives.
The core of Jain Meditation is awareness. Awareness to free oneself from influences of the past bitterness and sadness of conditions and judgments. Because of our programmed beliefs, even religion, which means to unite, is used to separate one from another. Many people have narrowed their life and placed themselves in a fold by thinking, "I am Moslem." "I am Hindu. "I am a Jew." "I am a Christian." I am Swetambar." I am Digambar. I am Sthanakvasi. I am Terapanthi. In this way, they are separating themselves saying they are not like me; they are all outsiders."
By belief, one has blocked and alienated oneself from mankind and living beings who are helping our existence in many ways, visibly and invisibly. Awareness helps to break the self-imposed limitations on oneself and to live liberated in a "uniting" universe.... The philosophy of Jain Dharma does not build our life on the past but on the living present. To me, a good life is a healthy loving life. A good life is a creative life. It is that life where we want to have the awareness that we can choose what we want to choose, let go of the dead past, and live in the living present. The philosophy of Jain Dharma does not build our life on the past but on the living present. To me, a good life is a healthy loving life. A good life is a creative life. It is that life where we want to have the awareness that we can choose what we want to choose, let go of the dead past, and live in the living present.
If we don't let go of the past, we cannot move forward. I am reminded of two friends in India who decided to cross the Ganges River by boat in Benaras. They were drinking bhang, a stimulant, and were feeling energetic because of intoxication and the full moon. The whole night they rowed and rowed. But when it was dawn, they saw people on the shore who looked like the people from the night before. One of them said, "This place looks exactly like Benares." So, they stepped ashore and asked, "Where are we?" They were told they were in Benares. "Benares? But how can that be? We have been rowing the whole night." Only then did they find out that in their intoxication they had forgotten to untie the rope from the jetty. The rope was over 200 feet long so we had moved from here to there but reached nowhere. We want to move forward, but we don't untie ourselves from the anchoring past habit and beliefs. Whenever we talk, we talk about the past and go on playing the old worn-out record. Even in therapy for years, our mind roams in the empty rooms of past phantoms. Clinging to the past dogmas, we turn from a plum into a prune.
The word of Mahaveer inspires us to ask ourselves, "Who am I and what is my purpose? Where do I come from? Have I made my life rich with a feeling of Live and Let Live? Am I vegan; not stealing food of the baby calves? How do I see myself? Why did I not choose the right things? Do I allow others to tell me what I can and cannot do? Remind yourself that others are only projecting themselves onto you. What they say does not reflect you; it reflects on them. If they deny certain things, they are not denying you; they are denying themselves. Their statements do not apply to you.
Years ago several students from the United States came to India with us and visited Shatrunjaya in Palitana. In this group there were two sisters who were trying to come to terms with their guilt. They were not happy with the past and had been going to various types of therapy for many years. I had known both of them for a long time, and now they traveled all the way to India to have some special time to study for self-awareness. They visited the caves and mountains where many people became enlightened. We climbed Mount Shatrunjaya where a cluster of temples adorns the top of a holy mountain. On top of the highest temple, we had a special ceremonial meditation to let go of the past, to let go of negativity.
Anyone who wants to free oneself from wrong belief, guilt and sin is free to choose the Jain method of saying this mantra: Savva Pava Panasano, which vibrates to liberate. Here savva means all; pava means guilt and negativity; and panasano means destroyed. All guilt and sins of the past are destroyed. The next part of the mantra is: mangalanam cha savvesim. From that moment, mangalanam benedictions and blessings start pouring on us from all directions. This is the greatest among all blessings. In this way, one goes deep into oneself. Deep into the source, one creates a fine insight and incinerates all the negativities. One accepts oneself as gold, purified of all dross.
Of the two people, I mentioned before, one came up from the mantra meditation and said with joy. "I am free! Free from the burden of the load of past negativities." What she had not been able to do in twenty years happened spontaneously in that moment. Collecting all the junk of the past, collecting all guilt of the past, she incinerated them, cleansed herself of them, and forgave herself. She did not need to go anywhere to be forgiven, to be saved. She said, "I burned the negativity, threw the ashes away, came back to my clean self and started a new life of Ahinsa." It was true for her because she believed it to be possible. Her belief became her reality, a fact for her. But the other person said, How can you burn all your past and your mistakes? You can t! It is impossible! The word itself means I M POSSIBLE .
Often the belief clings to the past and the mind finds its arguments to support the condition. Human beings are reasoning animals - and to make life miserable, we find so many reasons. We pick up a book which was written by one person who heard a second person quoting a third person, and then edited by a fourth person. We now take this as the real message and we say, "It is written! It is our original sin and it cannot be undone. We believe it!" It is written that a savior is needed or else we risk damnation and will go to hell; we believe it. But none of this is what the master said. A master is he or she who does not insult human dignity. Do you think the master will say, "If you don't embrace me, you will go to hell." Such an idea cannot come from any master; it comes from the egotistical interpreter. The true master helps you see beauty of living an excellent life. They give you their shoulders to climb on to see more, to be taller not smaller. They don't want to see you shrink; they want to see you grow.
Echo Point . Whatever we send out returns to u, we receive what we give. If we send fear or hate, that is what we get. If we send love, then love comes back to us. That is the law of the universe. This world is like an echo point. JAINA CONVENTION, JULY , 2009: My dear Friends, It is a pleasant occasion to come together to celebrate the 15th Biennial JAINA Convention where all Jain Centers have worked with great dedication, to bring together the various flowers of Societies and Temples to create a beautiful garland of unity. Jain Dharma is not only a teaching but it is primarily a practice: the practice of Ahinsa. Ahinsa means the dignity and sacredness of the human person in relation with other living beings. Its criteria are Reverence of ALL Life. Violence is spreading like wildfire all over the world and is devouring human life. It is a matter of grave concern to all of us, and our conscience urges us to do something in this direction: Practicing Ahinsa in everyday life, creating literature, holding conferences and seminars, and increasing the consciousness of Reverence for ALL Life - t hese are the ways to peace. And with sincere practice, meditation and prayer, we create vibrations of awareness of Reverence for Life. In this way, we help nullify the idea of dehumanizing war and violence in the world. Bhagwan Mahavira has shown us by the examples of his own life experiences that nonviolence and compassion are the answers fro peace and well-being. In order to expunge violence, one has to remove it from thoughts, from feelings, from the mind, and from one's expressions. Knowing this law of life, we can purify our minds with peace, feed our body with healthy vegan food, and nourish our thoughts with understanding others' point of view through Anekant. One thing we know is that children learn more from our practices and living examples rather than from commands and rituals. Example speaks louder than our advice. Success, not at the cost of others, not with conflict but with cooperation and coordination, becomes pragmatic and automatic. We grow through mutual PARASPAROAGRAHO JIVANNAM, helping each other. The cruelty which is imposed upon the lives of animals is beyond imagination. True Jains, all through their history, have refrained from cruelty. Carl Sagan in Time Magazine, October 20, 1980, wrote "there is no right to life in any society on earth today, nor has there been at any former time (with a few rare exceptions, such as among the JAINS in India)." You will not find any vegetarian army that has participated in war. Nor will you find any vegetarian soldier who has gone out to kill human beings. That is why even Mahatma Gandhi, though he was not a Jain by birth, realized the true Ahinsa of Mahavira and embraced and practiced it in life. He raised Ahinsa to the level of statesmanship and politics to liberate India without bloodshed. This Ahinsa is a solace to mankind. Not only Gandhi, not only Martin Luther King, and not only the Venerable Japanese Monk Nichidatsu Fuji, but the whole world is now looking up to this principle of Ahinsa. Ahinsa is neither dogmatic nor sectarian. Its foundation is not blind faith but experiences of various aspects of life. In this world there is no religion as alive, beautiful and kind as Ahinsa. Our primary purpose is to liberate our mind from attachment, greed and ignorance. When the essence of these principles is shown through example to our children, they will become the best citizens of the world. I am sure all centers, societies and temples, individually and collectively with JAINA, will continue to worlk in this direction and w ill seek the light to create an atmosphere that will be conducive to achieving our goal. The former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, very appropriately mentioned in his letter to me that, "Ahinsa is the only answer for mankind; this Ahinsa is our heritage, our wealth, our spiritual light, and our essence." I have no doubt that we can change any things in this world by changing ourselves, by being sensitive, caring and compassionate beings. May all cherish a feeling of amity and love amongst fellow beings and may peace and nonviolence become our guiding force. LOVE AND BLESSINGS, Earlier I mentioned of two people who were part of our meditation in letting go of guilt and negativity. One of them found many reasons to hold on to the past; the other willed it to be free and her seed blossomed into a smiling flower. You may think, "That does not happen." But with her, it did. She let go of old thinking and discovered she was free. Such an experience brings inner peace.
Not only she but anyone can recover from guilt by getting in touch with loving energy. Believe in your freedom to let go of the past! Be free and open to let the blessings pour in. Go deep into yourself, experience yourself and believe in yourself. This is an understanding that comes only from introspection, from self-realization. Visit all the corners of your consciousness. See your strengths and erase your weaknesses. Accept yourself. Gradually build your self-image. Feel your thoughts of "I am free and I choose to be happy. I choose to be peaceful; it is my nature." So, let us realize the self and have peace. Let us experience the presence of the divine energy which is within each of us.
Dear Young Jains of the U.K.
I am very happy that you are celebrating 20 years of YJofUK. The members of this organization are blessed because you are born in a culture, religion and tradition which respects life. You carry reverence for animals, plants and human beings and practice Ahimsa., Anekantavada and Aparigriha in thoughts, words and actions. You are fortunate to have a living heritage which nourishes your life with its profound teaching of "living by giving". Now, you are the torchbearer of tomorrow who are capable of using your time, energy and awareness to continue this heritage; adding from your education and understanding to modernize the culture in the Western atmosphere. You have brought our ancient teaching to the threshold of modern life. This is progress. Progress is embodying our aspirations within an eco-friendly lifestyle. What is AHIMSA? Ahimsa is Awareness of life within and life without . So carrying the kindred feeling of love, compassion and consideration for others as we would for our own selves. Progress ultimately is not only a manifestation of material prosperity, but realizing the potentiality that we admire in others within ourselves and realizing that what we see in temples we perceive in our own selves. In this way Atma becomes Parmatma. In 1970 April, I was in London and the welcome they gave me is unforgettable. Since then I have been watching how the Jains in London are progressing. However, the Young Jains of UK have taken that progress to new dimensions, realizing my dream to make Jain Dharma universal and not parochial. I am sure you will be pioneering examples of Jain Dharma in the modern world by practicing the teachings of Ahimsa, Anekanta and Aparigraha and realising the potential of Atma to become Parmamta! Q & A: In Jain teaching, the KARMA theory sometimes has been criticized because they say it leads to inaction, nonintervention
Gurudev: KARMA is the universal law of cause and effect. What you sow is what you reap. You reap what you sow. Like an echo point. So it makes you aware of your words, thoughts and action and you realize the consequence of our own behavior. If you sow a seed of bitter-melon but prays along with all the rituals for a mango then the plant will still be a bitter-melon. So if you are violent and go to holy places and pray and perform rituals, the result in his life will be violent because that is the consequence of his action.
If you're inactive and callous towards the suffering of other people then his inaction will make him suffer because he has lost touch with his compassion. People argue that if you help someone who is suffering then aren't you simply postponing their suffering to another time and place, since it is their karma to suffer ? But how do you know that that person s suffering is not a new cause and effect relationship being born at that time and that it is the suffering as a result of past karma?
Moreover, regardless of the sufferers karma at that time, the onlooker is building negative karma by ignoring the suffering of another, which will eventually come back to him later.
Question: So we must even help the wrongdoers?
A: If you can then you should. If you don't then there is no compassion. We must not lose our compassion. It is not our business to judge the character of the wrongdoer who is suffering. We mustn t play God. You just see them as a human being and that is it. He/she will suffer or not suffer based on the consequence of his/her deeds. But by allowing the wrongdoer to suffer you are losing your compassion and by doing so create your own cycle of suffering. That becomes judgmental. The idea is to help alleviate suffering wherever you can. If someone is in pain, alleviate the suffering. Don t support the wrongdoing but alleviate the suffering. I know that there is a fine line, but the first priority is to alleviate the suffering, that's all. Even Jesus said, hate the sin not the sinner. So while trying to rob, a thief was hurt while running away. He comes to the hospital and the doctor knows he is a thief. He went to rob, but he is hurt so the doctor's duty is to give him first aid while knowing that he is a thief. So to know a thief is one thing and do service from compassion is another. Anekantvada teaches us not to be judgmental because we cannot know all the different sides of the story. Maybe the thief is stealing out of compulsion, out of desperation. Our duty is not to judge but to remain in one s nature and our nature is non-violence and compassion which we must therefore show.
Q: So the point is, even if we believe or have reason to believe that poetic justice is at work in the world, it is still our duty to be compassionate. To intervene, to help.
A: We don't go out to help. We are moved, we see the pain, we see suffering of life, and so one gets. As Darshan said, once you see the beauty of the cow, you cannot lift your hand to hurt it. So we must bring our awareness to the point that we see life and struggle even in people who seem less deserving than innocent cows in the field. Like the doctor who cures the thief in spite of knowing he is a thief.
GURUDEV'S visit to Pittsburgh in May 2009 I offer my greetings to the Hindu Jain Temple of Pittsburgh on its silver jubilee, since it completes 25 years of glorious existence. The temple is a tribute to non sectarian worship as it is open to Hindus and Jains whether Shwetambar or Digambar. It is in the fitness of things that this is a monument of spiritual unity, of syncretic harmony. Let all who enter the temple leave outside their shoes of religious difference and dogmatism and enter a place of oneness and blending, of wholeness and peace. I hope this will inspire more people to seek amity that goes beyond petty differences. That would do justice to the vision of Pujya Chidanand Saraswatiji.
It is my sincere prayer and hope that the Temple will inspire people to follow their faith in its true spirit. It will lift people to a higher level of consciousness. What will be important will be not just rituals that are a result of dead habits, but the spirit of compassion and giving. What will be meaningful will not be wasteful and extravagant offerings of flowers and milk but the milk of human kindness, (or soy milk) the spread of a humane vision, which involves compassion for all life, human or otherwise. The temple is a living testament to the far reaching vision of all those who inspired it, supported it and helped to make it a reality.
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