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philosophy upon him as a child. Any form of imposition was an act of violence. He had been brought up in an atmosphere of non-violence and with a living example of reverence for life. Moreover, his father had not preached to him about Jainism. As a child, even into his teens, he had never formally studied the main points of Jain philosophy. His father had allowed him to discover the art of living for himself. For this manner his father had of honoring his son's inner space, he was deeply grateful.
He began to think of his land of birth and his upbringing. It occurred to him how fortunate he was to have been born on the ancient soil of Rajasthan. He conceived a longing to return to this land and feel for himself the pure and gentle atmosphere of his first nine months of life. Something in him called out to that origin-point. He wanted too to know the nature of the people who lived there and to recall the mother he had known for such a short time.
How blessed I am to have been bom to such pure healthy loving parents, who lived a natural unspoiled life and who have given to me their deep feeling of reverence for life.
He turned his meditation to his nearest and dearest one, his father. He began to see him in a new light.
My father is life, as I am life. Truly this soul is more than father. He is a loving energy, a universe unto himself, and ever caring to help me grow.
He recalled the conversations they had had about his time of birth. “That you would live was our deepest prayer," his father had said to him. “After seeing our first two children expire in infancy, we placed all hope in you. When we heard your first cry, we knew it was a blessed moment."
He remembered how moved he had been by their heart to heart talks together. Now he saw the wonder of birth.
It is life coming alive! It is the invisible becoming visible! How glad I am that I chose this dear soul as my father!
He meditated on his life in the womb, re-experiencing the cocoon-like home surrounding his consciousness before it had emerged into the world. He marveled that the tiny seed in the
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