Page Text
________________
ASPIRANT'S GUIDE temperament, going to the door or the outskirts of the Village to bid good-bye to them, obeying their directives and so on. His devotion towards the saints will take many such forms.
When this is followed honestly and sincerely, the Sadhaka will himself attain to sainthood.
This is because "There is a lot of difference between a Parasa gem (touchstone) and a Saint. The former transforms iron into gold, while the latter makes a man into a Saint".
Surely we all approve of making men into saints. Without approval and conviction of this, our spiritual aspiration is not fully justified. Let us ponder over this thoughtfully. 2. Compassionate Charity :
In this type of charity, the main purpose is to remove the sufferings of the afflicted people. In this case, the recipient benefiting from the charitable act is not more virtuous than the liberal donor. The feeling of compassion in the heart of the donor is therefore dominant in this case. The donor, who is inspired by this feeling, helps afflicted people with sympathy and serves them by body, mind or wealth.
Compassionate charity consists of liberal donation by a person who is moved by the pangs of the tormented human being or animal to get rid of sufferings as soon as possible. The donor tries his best to remove their suffering in a variety of ways.
The charity may consist of help and donation to the poor and beggars, those who have suffered by famine, floods, hunger etc. It may be by liberal donations to the orphans, the widows, needy students, the blind, the deaf, the dumb, the lame, the mad, the mentally unbalanced, and so on. No distinction whatsoever shall be made in this charity.
Compassionate charity is bestowed on the poor and the miserable, irrespective of caste, color, creed, native or foreigner, the virtuous or those bereft of virtue, follower of the same religion or of a different one. The sole purpose here is the removal of the afflictions of every Soul – whether man, animal, insect or any living being. The feeling of respect or honor or of reverence towards the recipient is secondary here. What is predominant is sympathy and compassion through love and friendship. 10
SADHAK-SATHI
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
| SR No. | 001285 |
| Book Title | Aspirants Guide |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Atmanandji Maharaj |
| Publisher | Shrimad Rajchandra Sadhna Kendra Koba |
| Publication Year | 2001 |
| Total Pages | 208 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English & Discourse |
| File Size | 10 MB |