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their children ideas of love and peace.” To replace the current destructive focus on competition, he brought out the Jain principle of anekāntavāda, a non-dogmatic approach to life in which other points of view are appreciated as complementary elements. “Different angles of vision enrich us and bring us to a more complete understanding of one another. Thus, rather than attack others for not agreeing with us, we have to join hands. A single blade of grass is weak in itself, but when many blades are united together in a rope, they become too strong for even the biggest of elephants.”
Throughout the week, both inside the Conference halls and outside in the Swiss countryside, people in the hundreds came to see and hear the Jain Muni. "What is Jainism? When was it founded? Why have we never heard of Mahavlr? What are its fundamental principles?” Gurudev corrected the many myths in people's minds. In particular, he was asked how the demonstration in Bombay on the part of those trying to prevent him from coming to the West could be reconciled with the Jain teaching on non-violence. Gurudev answered, “Whenever a new light is thrown on the essential truths of a religion which has become encrusted with age, custom, and sectarianism, there is bound to be opposition. It was a challenge to my unfailing trust in my experience.”
Among Gurudev's many afternoon visitors, one was Shri G. D. Birla who happened to be in Switzerland at the time and who had heard of Gurudev's coming from his son B. K. Birla. G. D. Birla, a well-known and dearly loved philanthropist as well as a leading industrialist of India, had been a long time supporter of Mahatma Gandhi and his cause. Now he was eager to meet the man whom he had admired from afar as one who lived and practiced the philosophy of non-violence. He longed to receive some insight from him in person.
His appointment was for 3 p.m., but he arrived early. Since Gurudev always kept silence till then, no one informed him that his visitor had come. At 3, Gurudev opened the door and saw the mature gentleman sitting there. "Oh, please come in! I have kept you waiting.”
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