Essence of Jainism Part 02

Author(s): Kushalchandravijay
Publisher: 108 jain Tirth Darshan Trust

Page 61

This is the way to practise religion to get rid of bonds of Karma; but a heated iron ball does not become cool by dropping a few drops of water over it. It requirs to be dipped into wate. Hence, constant practice irrespective of likes and dilkes of our mind, is necessary for self-purification. As a result, in the next birth, we shall be by nature what we now become ourselves either good or bad by deeds performed in the present birth. Hence, by gaining the right understanding, we should now make efforts to make our life pure. We ourselves, have accumlated bonds of karmas in the past and we, ourselves, will have to get rid of them. No one can do it for us. So let us, from to-day onwards be careful so that bad karmas are not accumulated.
गुणवद् बहमानादेर्नित्यस्मृत्या च सक्रिया ।
जातं च पातयेद् भावमजातं जनयेदपि ॥ By honouring and loving good persons and remembering their good actions, good sentiments would be strengthened and if they were non-existent, will certainly arise in us. Once arisen, these do not go away. If we appreciate the virtues of meritorious persons and rejoice in them, we imbibe in us qualities of friendliness, cheerfulness, compassion and equanimity. Friendliness means thinking good of others. Cheerfulness means to be happy about good qualities in others. Compassion means to feel for and to try to remove the suffering of all creatures. Indifference means not to be concerned about the wicked.
परहितचिंता मैत्री परदुःखविनाशिनी करुणा ।
परसुखतुष्टिर्मुदिता परदोषापेक्षणं उपेक्षा ॥ These four sentiments help us in cleaning the ground for sowing seeds of religion.
(1) MAITRI BHAVANA : (FRIENDLINESS) : We must think good of all creatures i. e. people, birds, beats, water-animals and even living beings possessing only one sense.
We must strive to remove troubles of others "आत्मवत् सर्व भूतेषु All souls are alike in nature. Just as, I want to be free from troubles myself, so do others. So I must desire to make others free from troubles.
Let me make all people interested in Jainism. I have no enemy among the living beings, whether big or small, mobile or immobile.
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