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Lord Mahavira and His Teachings
which is but an expression of violence. Buddha's great statements are very well known. Lao-tse taught the Wisdom of Non-violence. "To the good I will be good; to the evil-doer I will also be good, in order to make him good." "Requite injury with kindness"; and so on. We can multiply quotations from other texts.
They all echo the Dashavaikalika Niryukti :
"Subdue wrath by forgiveness, conquer vanity by humbleness, fraud by straightforwardness, and vanquish greed through eontentment.”
What was the peculiar and particular contribution of Mahavira to the age to which he came? The principles He taught particularly touched the personal life so that His followers, even to-day, have rules for the conduct of life which bring them to the Path of the Inner Light, the Way to the Microcosm within the carapace of cruelty which the body is; thence to proceed to the Great Without, the Mighty Macrocosm.
To begin with, the daily prayer :
"I forgive all souls; let all souls forgive me. I am on friendly terms with all; I have no enmity towards anybody."
-Avashyaka Niryukti
This reminder at dawn and as we retire for sleep is a very salutary exercise. In the bustle of the market place we are apt to forget our prayer. Memory is at once the friend and the foe of man and we should seek the help of the following Jain text of the Yoga
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