________________
As he decided to emerge fully from the cocoon of small concerns and personal obsessions with death, loss, and his past, he took the arrow, his mind, straight to the target, Self.
His Master explained, “You bow to the Arihanta in order to take the biggest stride of all, to bow to your own Self. It is the most difficult and brave step for an aspirant. What starts with bowing to the outside masters ends with bowing to yourself."
So Munishree practiced seeing himself in the light of the Arihanta. He followed the steps given in the ancient Pindasta meditation, designed to help a person create a beautiful and transcendent self-image.
First he meditated on lifting his energy from the base of the spine through all of the energy centers at the pelvis, navel, heart, throat, and brow region to the top of the head. Then he glided into the following meditation.
I am rising upward from the crown of my head. Surrounding me is a huge calm lake. There is nothing in sight, only vast smooth water. It is completely rippleless. Now I see a long and powerful stem stretching above the surface of the water. Tremendous green leaves crown the stem. In the center of the leaves is a beautiful white lotus.
It is a huge lotus with one thousand petals. Each petal is perfect. Each petal is the personification of beauty. I will climb onto the petals of the lotus. But first I ascend seven steps. With each step, I pause to drop weaknesses and burdens. With the first step, I drop fear, insecurity, and clinging. I see that I cannot hold onto any thing forever. I let go. Let me transform these gravitating energies into confidence and balance, knowing that true security lies in trusting the Self.
With the second step, I remove lust and craving for gratifying the demands of the senses. I withdraw deeper into the source of these misplaced energies and feel that here is a springboard for creativity and service. I allow this creative feeling to lift me higher. On the third step, I drop anger, any need to control or manipulate. Let me replace them by flooding myself with a feeling of forgiveness and affection for all living beings
With the fourth step, I remove anything which clutters my inside space, all false ideas of superiority and inferiority. I
147
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
