Chitrabhanu Man with Vision

Author(s): Clare Rosenfield
Publisher: Jain Meditation International Centre New York

Page 85

Rup neither accepted nor rejected these protests. He looked at each point of view squarely, and asked himself questions in an utterly candid and honest manner.
Am I really being self-centered? Am I deserting those who hue me most? Is it right that I let a name which has been passed down for generations fade into oblivion after all these years?
He allowed these questions to percolate in his consciousness. He restrained himself from giving a quick, impulsive answer. Out of deep respect for his father, Rup agreed to postpone his decision and wait. In the interim period, he worked with his father in the cloth business. It did not take him long to learn all there was to learn about the trade. He envisioned himself doing this work for the rest of his life.
No, it is frightening to imagine doing such boring work year after year. lean understand why businessmen either grow dull or become corrupted. All their efforts are put into accumulating more and more profit. Where is the progress? Where is the growth and expansion of the human spirit? All I see is stagnation. More questions arose in his mind.
With profit as the motive, how can men of commerce be sure that they will always be strictly honest and fair with customers and suppliers? What is to prevent them from deviating slightly from what they know to be lawful and fair?
His father, on the other hand, was an example of impeccable honesty. By keeping his prices fixed and by opening his shop only a few hours each day, he had not been working to accumulate more and more profit. He felt his income was adequate to support his family and relatives, so he was spending more and more hours in quiet study and contemplation.
Now it occurred to Rup that his father had not been stagnating. He realized that his father would really understand and respect his desire to become a monk; all that was needed was a heart to heart talk with one another. So he went to his father and shared his feelings.
"Dear Father, please hear me out. My heart is not here in this world of business. I've seen that for me, there is no meaning in leading a worldly life. I see no worth in even becoming a millionaire. What does one really need to live? A
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