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98
Life of an aspirant
In the same manner, there are so many customs and traditions in social life which you do not believe in, which you keep condemning, but continue to live up to. Only for the same reason - what will people say?
You want to protect a child by instilling societal fear in him because you yourself pander to societal pressures. Thus, you are caught between two worlds. But I say - a change in thinking and reasoning is the need of the hour. Old values of societal fear must be replaced by new values of self realization. Our vision needs rectification.
I once chanced upon a monk who was admonishing his disciple by saying, “Brother! What are you doing? What will the śrāvakas say?"
I spoke to him saying, "Oh monk! I am happy that you stopped your disciple from wrong-doing, but your method was not right. This is not the way to impart wisdom to one's disciple. "What will the śrävakas say?" - by this statement, you have created within him the need to hide his impulses. You should have said, "How will your soul feel?" If you have restrained someone by external pressure, it means that there has not been an awakening, nor has a path towards self-reflection been etched out." Until self-reflection is awakened, no man or woman will make an honest attempt to uproot negative impulses.
I often think about this and have stated on more occasions than one, that externally forced renunciation does not work. We speak of prohibition of smoking and consumption of alcohol. The ethos of this prohibition is correct, but it stems from a materialistic justification. Reasons such as bodily harm and wastage of money are worldly reasons and justifications for forced prohibitions. The strong pillars of renunciation cannot rest on such feeble foundations. We must learn to assess our lives based on what is good for the soul. Our inner vision has to awaken.
Is our renunciation true or is it a facade? The portrayal of religious conduct with regard to renunciation can often become
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