________________
question, to cling. And when he emerged from that depth, renewed and clear-minded, he felt expansive and loving, filled with that spacious feeling of reverence for all life.
The second statement clarified the purpose of all his disciplines and practices:
सीलं वदं गुणो वा णाणं णिस्संगदा सुहच्चाओ। जीवे हिंसंतरस हु सव्वे वि णिरत्थया होति ।। Silam vadam guņo vāņāņam nissangadā suhacchão
Jive himsāntassa hu savue vi ņiratthayā honti. “All our humaneness and moral character, all our vows, virtues, and knowledge, all our practices to give up greed and acquisitiveness towards things and sense objects are meaningless and useless unless we have non-violence and reverence for life in our heart."
Munishree went deep into the philosophy, asking himself why ahimsā was the topmost of all of the qualities and practices. He investigated his subconscious to locate and uproot any vestiges of ill will or subtle violence nesting there.
If I do not practice ahimsa in my thoughts, then all my renunciation, vows, and virtuous deeds are only a facade. If they appear on the surface but do not arise from within, then my consciousness is merely hollow. But I am here to respect life. All my vows are meant for life. That is why I am practicing these disciplines. That is where I am moving in my search.
He learned that in the more than four thousand years of Jain history, the main premise of the Jinas was to save life and to serve life. Killing was never justified for any reason. That is why Jains had never engalged in animal sacrifice at any time in history nor in any ritual involving the taking of life.
People who do not know how to live with reverence are not able to allow others to live. Their destructive quality tantalizes, becomes a tentacle, and reaches into others' lives. Not knowing and appreciating the value of life, they are filled with fear and anxiety. Fear of attack invites attack. They send violence out from their mind, words, actions, and gradually this permeates in the universe.
Now he understood why his father had never imposed his
141
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
