Equanimity Philosophy and Practice

Author(s): Nanesh Acharya
Publisher: Agam Ahimsa Samta Evam Prakrit Samsthan

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(Monk). The difference between the two is that a house holder relinquishes gross hurting, big lies, stealing, adultery or unbridled possessions, whereas an ascetic relinquishes all of these completely (whether gross or subtle). The lower stage is of a house holder, while an ascetic dwelling upon the higher stages of renunciation minutely practises the philosophy of eqanimity. With a view-point, the path of Mahavira is renunciation-oriented in the sense that his teachings tend to lead him towards the light of Sapient Consciousness after deviating him from the infatuation of inanimate objects. The opposite of renunciation is attachment i. e., becoming oblivious of the Inner Self and keep loitering after the mirage for the worldly pleasures. Where there is this meandering (loitering). there is selfishness, deterioration and heterogeneousness. The higher stages of a house holder's or an ascetic's lives have been designed with a view to bring an aspirant within the bounds of equanimity, maintain there and promote him further.
The outstanding qualities of a monk could be said as non-attachment to any person or a thing, indifference for honour or insult, equanimous thought, vision and action, self-reliance like air and unindulgence like sky, non-belonging even for his own body. awakening even when sleeping, observing harmony in pain-pleasure, praise-blame, life or death, contemplating equanimity, egoless in spite of higher gains of spiritual-mental powers,surrendering himself for three-jems of knowledge, vision and conduct. For surv. ivality of life he should collect needful things like a wasp who takes a little pollen from every flower as his food. No event is wonderous for him. (His father is his religion, mother his forgiveness. He considers religion as his
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