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teacher's life became an open book from which he learned to live in reverence and awareness, inspired to live in contact with the world but not bound by it.
As Munishree's love for his teacher grew, he wondered whether he was creating too great an attachment to him. Soon after initiation, one of the main bhāvanās or reflections the monks were given to ponder was called asarana, the unprotected state. His guru taught, “See that whatever you are leaning on is unable to protect you. People and things are ever-changing, ever-moving. How can you depend upon them? They are castles in the sand.” So Munishree meditated on attachment, on dependency.
I have renounced home, possessions, worldly achievement. I am not attached to food or comfort. When I disconnect from everything, what is left? My memories. I am clinging to my past. What if I let them go too? There is my father. I love him more than anyone in the world. Without him, what would I do? Life would be a void. There is my love for my Master. Is this connection an attachment? Must I let it go too?
He went to his teacher, “What about my attachment to you, Guruji? Do I have to give that up also?”
The Master answered, “Teacher is not an attachment. He is your inspiration. He is the powerhouse. In order to light your light, you must have continuous connection with the source of electricity. When the time comes, you are your own powerhouse. Then there is no more need. In the meantime, you keep this model in your heart. Guru is called death, he removes all the clutter, all the lesser demands, all the old dependencies.
“And you must know, the relationship of master and student is undying, it is the pure relation of soul to soul. That is not attachment, it is reality. It is nitya, permanent. It is sharana, your inner protection in this world of change."
At another time, he explained to his student,
"When a man goes to a doctor for some help to relieve constipation, what does the doctor do? Gives medication. The patient may protest, ‘Already there is too much stuff in my
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Jain Education International
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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 |