________________
Now as Gurudev and his father climbed to the peak of this holy mountain, they felt the omniscient presence of this apostle of peace and non-violence, and became deeply attuned to his vibrations. At the same time, father and son felt the power of love emanating from their past connection with this place. It enveloped them. In silence they felt this journey as a true homecoming.
Out of devotion to his son, Gurudev's father arranged to collect food for his son so that he could be free to meditate uninterruptedly for seventeen days. The young monk took his simple meal under a tree, following the practice of ekāsan, eating only once a day, in one sitting, and in one place. In this way, he was spared the need to think about food, and the body's needs would disturb him as minimally as possible.
In those seventeen days he felt a deep inner ecstasy. The words of Bhagwan Mahāvir rang in his ears — maitri, pramoda, karuņā, madhyestya, amity, appreciation, compassion, equanimity. Each word touched something inside him. He meditated on the essence of each one.
What is maitri? What does it mean to feel amity and friendship for the entire universe of living beings? Does my consciousness embrace all and exclude none?
The answer came in the form of a universality of feeling. Gazing at the loving eyes of the images of Adinātha and Neminātha in the Delwara temples, he felt his soul expand infinitely. All boundary lines melted away. He experienced a vast inner space, as if the heartbeats of the universe itself were pulsating within his own heart. A steady stream of love for all life filled his being. He explored the meaning of pramoda, appreciation.
Do I feel from my depths appreciation for all those great souls of all times and places who have shown the path and led the way to Self-Realization?
He opened himself to a new flow, a flow of reverence for the great masters who not only rose above their inner weaknesses, but who also bequeathed to mankind their insights and ever-living vibrations of perfection and peace. He stood in admiration before the shining lights in his life. He thought of his fellow monks and other genuine seekers, simple virtuous
203
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
