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Life of an aspirant
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melodramatic and therefore absurd. This is most often due to a need to make an impression in one's society or community.
Once, on our return from Palanpur, many of us arrived at Sachore town in Rajasthan. It was an ancient region, and deeply influenced by another following. While one of our younger monks set out to receive alms for our meal, an elderly monk from our group advised him, "Today while receiving gocharī,' you must make an impression. Let the people of this town always remember us as highly evolved and self-realized monks."
In obedience, the younger monk went about receiving the gocharī with high-handedness. "Oh, this food is asüjhatā.10 It does not look like it was prepared with vigilance”, he fussed. People were astounded and exclaimed, “Oh monk! We have never seen such evolved saints earlier! Such an uncompromising attitude reflects your austerity and inner will."
Later the monk reported to the elder one saying, "Master, we have created such an impression that people have forgotten the previous saints."
I was surprised as well as amused and observed, "What is all this? Why did you not do the same today that you do everyday? Or why don't you do everyday what you did today? Why these double standards in behaviour?"
To this, they retorted, “After all, we don't have to live here everyday. We have come for a day and we will go away soon enough. At least, the people here will remember that some great saints who were perfectionists had visited here once."
The point that I am making here is that the need to impress is not just a disease of the common man. It has corrupted even the so-called enlightened ones.
When can one achieve a wholesome state? Even in the time
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Food given as alms to ascetics Food not prepared according to rules and regulations. Though Jainism forbids the cooking of food for ascetics since they should partake what is already available, the ascetics are bound by a lot of rules on the kind of food they should accept.
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