________________
THE BIRTH OF A BEAUTIFUL HOME
163
love! 'Let us heed our daughter's advice,' said the husband to his wife. Go out and invite Love to be our guest.' The woman went out and asked the three old men, 'Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest.' Love got up and started walking towards the house. The other two also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success, 'I only invited Love, why are you coming in?' The old men replied together, 'If you had invited Wealth or Success, the remaining two of us would have stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!
HOW TO BRING ABOUT CHANGE There are three stages in the process of awakening. The first stage is the formation of an idea or thought (vichara). We have to create a system of healthy and strong ideas. The second stage is transforming the thoughts or ideas into imprints on the subconscious level of mind (samskara). The third stage is conduct (aachara) to put principles into practice. The gulf between percept (vichara) and practice (aachara) is only natural. Only those who are free from passion can practise what they preach. There is always a discrepancy between the speech and practice of a person who remains engrossed in attachment (raga) and aversion (dvesha), and this gulf between his thought and deed cannot be removed. It is only through a bridge that people can cross a river. We have to have a bridge in the form of samskara to remove the gap between thought and action. We recommend a process of change. We recommend the application of the Anekanta view in practical life. It will prove as a protective armour for peace in a family. The combination of prudently consuming resources and freedom from attachment to things constitutes the best alternative. There have been many attempts to build a new social order
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org