Page Text
________________
Anuvrata the Jaina Path to Self-Transformation and World Peace 291
connotes reduction and limitation. It means exercising restraint in relation to conveniences, consumption and wealth. It is in this context that Anuvrata Declaration 'self-restraint alone is life' (samyamah khalu Jivanaṁ) is capable of providing a permanent solution to the present day problems.
Man lives by bread but he cannot live by it alone. Even what we eat and drink proves nourshing only when it is accompanied by restraint. Thus it can be said that what gives life to life or the supreme life-sustaining principle is self-restraint. And if there is any one thing that has been most neglected in the scientific age, it is self-restraint. The message of Anuvrata is that of self-restraint. The philosophy of Aņuvrata is that of self-restraint. To spread this message extensively we will have to study both our past and our present. And the greatest concentration has to be on the present education system which is responsible for the present-day hedonism, consumerism and acquisitiveness.
We can hope for a new man, a new society and a new world if the seeds of self-restraint are sown in the young students' minds from the very beginning. Materialistic expansion and spread of armaments cannot bring about a new world order. It is a reality and we will do ourselves immense good by accepting it. For if we refuse to accept it now, the problems arising in the future will compel us to do so.
Aņuvrata was relevant when it was started. But today it is infinitely more relevant. Its relevance has increased a thousandfold. What is needed now is that we should all come together and apply our minds collectively to the basic cause of our problem. Mere prunning of leaves or watering the plant will not do. We have to find out the root cause. We will find that the biggest problem today lies in our education and life-style. To find a solution serious deliberations are needed by putting all the heads together. The Anuvrata philosophy is must for a happy and peaceful life. From this point of view it can be said that the twenty-first century will be the century of Aņuvrata, the century of spirituality.We hope that the people will give serious thought to it and will adopt anuvrata as the way of life for ensuring survival of not only human beings but all forms of life.
What is Aņuvrata? Briefly the following points can encapsulate it: 1. It is a human code of conduct.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
| SR No. | 014010 |
| Book Title | Jainism in a Global Perspective - Collection of Jain papers of 1993 Parliament of World Religions, Chicago |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Sagarmal Jain, Shreeprakash Pandey |
| Publisher | Parshwanath Vidyapith |
| Publication Year | 1998 |
| Total Pages | 402 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Seminar & Articles |
| File Size | 23 MB |