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THE FLAME OF AVARICE
All lakes have shores, but the lake of desire is such that it has no shore - no beginning, no end. It is limitless.
M
ahāvīra's disciple, Ananda, adopted parigraha parimāṇa vrata - the vow of limiting possessions. The implication of adopting this vow is to take charge of a life that is unrestrained, where desires are endless and where greed knows no bounds. The aim is to bring order into such an existence by curtailing the flow of desires and wants.
Man, in his ignorance, prolongs his life cycles by falling under the spell of desires. In pursuit of these desires, he gets sucked into the quicksand of want and greed. Every time he goes through the ordeal of fulfilling one desire, another crops up and then yet another.
Thus, greed is the root of all conflicts, be it within a family, or one that involves an entire nation. Until this tendency is removed, passions are restrained, the inner strength to destroy desires is cultivated, and thereby, the vow of parigraha parimāņa followed, conflict and disharmony will prevail. Without recognizing this root cause of conflicts, any hope of a harmonious and peaceful existence is but an illusion.
The greatest of thinkers have spread the light of knowledge, but the darkness caused by greed has not been dispelled. The
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