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MAHAVIRA AND ECONOMICS
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these villages, each and every person will lead an honest and dedicated life. Should this plan succeed, even in a limited measure, it will be an achievement not only for the religion, but also of the society. Some religious preachers have often said that if you feed the poor, you become virtuous. Making a strong attack on the feeling of earning virtuousity by feeding the poor, Acharya Bhikshu said that to feed a person taking him as a beggar is, in fact, a sin. On the other hand, by considering him as a brother, it becomes your duty. In reality, poverty is not a very big problem. Let action be taken with reason considering the worid as a family and the problem of poverty could be brought under control.
First Live
We have not seen Mahavira, nor Gandhi, Marx, or Keynes. Discussion about those whom we have not met can basically be in terms of thought and literature. We are most familiar with, and close to, Mahavira since we try to live according to his directions. We need his philosophy, we talk about him. He is not here but his life profile is before us. Mahavira was not only a preacher and a visualiser, he practised in real life what he preached. This is a distinction of his personality. Read his writings and you would get a full glimpse of his life. We are followers of Mahavira and, therefore, it is always our endeavour that we try to live according to his teachings.
Search Truth Yourself How.can we then bring others in the category of Lord Mahavira. Nonetheless, if we do not put the comparison in perspective, it would tantamount to biased thinking. Mahavira never wanted this kind of baised thinking. He never maintained that everything and whatever he said was the only truth: Appana sachmesejja -- 'search the faith within yourself'. Nobody can say that the truth searched by Mahavira is now obsolete and old. Search the truth yourself. Who says this? Mahavira says this. This lends a new vision. Apart from being attracted towards his words, we are attracted towards his thoughts. Think, search and ponder; and if these sound well, then alone accept them.
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