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he had become a monk, he had been free to go wherever he wanted and to stay out as late as he desired. Now he had to ask permission to go somewhere. And the permission would not automatically be granted. His teacher, Pannyas Shree Chandra Sāgarji, would question the students before they were about to go out to collect alms or to accept the invitation of a villager to go to his home. “Where are you going? For what reason? How long will you be gone?” were questions commonly asked to the monks.
Munishree consulted his teacher and told him what was happening
"I cannot meditate. I am restless. My thoughts are monstrous. They are driving me crazy. And at night my dreams are claustrophobic. I cannot even get good sleep."
His teacher understood and told him, “Yes, this happens. People want peace, but when their chance comes to have it, they get pain instead. As soon as you come closer to what you thought you wanted, you want something.else. That is the nature of the mind. It jumps around like a monkey. It doesn't want to sit still."
Munishree agreed, "Yes, and when I take time for myself, all my old thoughts jump over my chest. It's as if they had been waiting for this moment to demand my attention."
“Please see that they are merely old habits, conditioned reflexes, which have made themselves at home in your mind. They are like servants. Just as an old servant knows the weakness of his master, so your old habits know your weak areas. If you are kind with them, you are not kind with yourself. You cannot have both - singing and eating! So evict them and make room for yourself!"
“What should I do to discipline my mind?” Munishree asked him.
"In order to guide this river to your reality, you need the banks of disciplines around you. But I am not going to impose on you how many times you should eat, how many hours you should sleep, how often you should study, meditate, or go out, or how many times you should fast. See your desires and start using viveka, your sense of discrimination, to see the difference between your soul's quest to know and commune, and
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| SR No. | 001808 |
| Book Title | Chitrabhanu Man with Vision |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Clare Rosenfield |
| Publisher | Jain Meditation International Centre New York |
| Publication Year | |
| Total Pages | 326 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English & Biography |
| File Size | 24 MB |