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SEEING HOLY LIFE IN PRACTICE
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guide them. His soul sought unification with paramātma, the super-soul and by this effort answers were given to still unanswered questions. Bharata and both his sisters came to him to see the miracle he was with their own eyes. At last he reached the highest state – omniscience and also liberation of the soul -even earlier than his father Rishabha. Bāhubali thereby became the first in the present great cycle of joy and suffering to reach perfect enlightenment. His father too, and later Bharata, reached this state, but Bāhubali will for ever be the great example for the spiritual endeavors of the Jains.
To one question the monks have never given me a satisfactory answer.. The most outstanding feature of the pure, liberated soul is omniscience. Nothing in the universe is unknowable for the liberated soul. When I reach omniscience, I will no doubt also know the suffering of all beings, and the causes of their suffering as well as the possible solution. How could I ever experience peace and bliss if I perceive all the suffering of others and do nothing? Should I understand that on reaching omniscience compassion is dead? Their Jain's answer is: “No! Compassion is not dead! But no one, and nothing but their own efforts, can save the suffering souls. Just as no god could help me on my path of purification, and I can only progress through my own effort, this applies equally to everyone else. Compassion has its value for worldly souls only. And even then even those suffering souls of a human or even a god will not receive help if their karma does not allow for it.” Personally, rather than withdrawing into a state of lofty bliss and leave things in a mess, I would rather return incarnation after incarnation to the earth to do whatever little or much I can – accepting the accompanying problems for what they are, even though the earth with its life-forms may continue to exist for millions or billions of years. Would there not be something very deeply hidden in the consciousness of that cosmic bliss which is troubled, and whispers: “You are neglecting your duty: see how billions of creatures are struggling - you are abandoning, whereas you one of the very few who could do something for them.” Will there never be a
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