________________
day does he stop eating! What a glutton!"
But the monk went on eating one grain at a time in complete awareness. With each grain, he meditated on each of his fellow monks, appreciating them one by one for their ability to fast and keep such a strict discipline. One by one he thought about them, saying to himself, “How strong he is, how single-pointed and self-controlled he is!” He continued in this way until he had finished each grain of rice and had appreciated each one of his fellow seekers.
From a distance, his Master had been intuiting what was happening. Just as he took his last morsel, the Master came in the room and told his students, “Bow to his feet! He has become Enlightened.” They were confused and surprised, but they did not dare to disobey their Master. So he told them, "While you were gossiping about him and making petty comparisons, he was appreciating all of your good points. By the time he took his last morsel, he became Enlightened!”
Munishree practiced upayoga daily in order for it to become second nature to him, an aware way of life. Still there were moments in which he felt discouraged. He did not see himself getting any closer to what he kept in the back of his mind as his goal — Enlightenment. Sometimes he became impatient with his progress.
"Guruji,” he addressed his teacher, “It is already four years and I have not seen into the mystery of death. I have not found out where my loved ones went. I have not reached Enlightenment!”
The Master smiled, “When you feel your muscles contract, let them go! You are creating too much tension. Enlightenment is not far away, dear soul. It is closer to you than your own breath."
Munishree understood.
I have been trying too hard. Too much effort, makes the goal twice as elusive as before! Too much intensify clouds the awareness.
His teacher reminded him, “Mahävir said, 'Once one takes the first step to go there, one is already there. You are already 134
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
