________________
Inner Opening
From the time that Rup was a young adult, he developed the quality of reverence. Whether or not he was truly interested in the school's required subjects, he cherished a special attitude in his heart.
My schoolroom is my temple. I must treat my teacher with respect and pay close attention to whatever he is saying.
In fact, he became so eager not to divert his thinking from listening to his teacher that a keen power of concentration emerged. His memory became precise and accurate. Through this process of undistracted focusing during class, he discovered that he had hardly any need to study after class. In this way, he gained first ranking in his studies and was an excellent candidate for receiving higher education.
His father wished to send him on to college in Bangalore, but Rup did not want to go. Even though Bangalore was only forty miles from Tumkur, he still held a deep subconscious fear of loss and loneliness. Having lost his mother and sister, he had become very attached to his father and preferred to stay home in the familiar atmosphere with him and with his high school friends. But his father insisted that the change of place would be good for him. Rup bowed to his father's advice and found himself the following year living in Bangalore and pursuing the course of higher studies.
It was not long before he discovered that his father was right to send him away. The spaciousness and beauty of Bangalore's natural surroundings moved him, stirring a new opening within him. He roamed alone down shady lanes and through flowering gardens. He explored woods and found isolated lakes to sit by and contemplate. He gazed in ecstasy at the burgeoning treetops and blue cloudless skies. Nature's voice sang to the poetry of his soul and he was awakened to
33
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
