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15th Biennial JAINA Convention 2009
Ecology - The Jain Way
projections of this one sorrow. There is only one wound - to be away from one's self, to remain We will be miserable because no matter what we divorced from it. There is only one pain - the hold on to in the outside world, it will slip away. absence of realization of one's self.
Whatever we care for will perish. No matter how
hard we try, we will not be happy externally. If we try to find out why we are unhappy, we will Happiness is our intrinsic nature, and yet we blame it on any number of reasons. Physical pain, never undertake the journey within. We wander psychological suffering, financial problems, far and away and court misery. We make difficulties in relationships are among the preparations to go to the moon and stars, but not innumerable reasons. Try to eliminate one type of within. We turn a blind eye to that which is close suffering and ten others will emerge. We try to by. The self is the closest, but we believe it to be protect one wall and the other crumbles! If we very far. The first thing, therefore, is to realize proceed in this manner, we will soon be at death's that it is the closest. Then effort should be made doorstep and we will never have had an to become steady in it. opportunity to live! Therefore it was said that we need one remedy for all our miseries.
Turn Within and Impart Happiness
When one's discriminative faculties are awakened The Essence of Religion
and one sees that everything in the outside world Someone asked a Zen Master, 'Please can you tell is of no consequence, the inward journey begins. me in short, the essence of religion?' The master If you start the inward journey you will turn to kept quiet and stared at the questioner. The man your self. And if you turn within, you will come became disturbed, anxious and started perspiring. close to that which will never leave you. In exasperation, he asked the master, 'Why do Moreover, as you turn within, fountains of joy will you not speak? Why do you keep looking at me as spring forth. Just as the Ganges, Brahmaputra, though I have committed a crime? Why do you Indus and many other rivers flow from the not speak?' The master's eyes seemed to pierce Himalayas, the rivers of love, tranquility and joy him like an arrow. The master said, 'I am will flow from the Himalaya of meditation. Not speaking; why do you not listen?' The man only will you be full of joy, you will also make the answered, 'You have not said anything; what do I world joyous. You will be able to impart a great listen to?' The master said, 'I said, just as I am deal of happiness to the world. The one who is quiet, you should also become quiet and calm. happy also makes others happy. What else can he Look within and liberate yourself.' Look within. give but happiness!?!
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ଲେଲେ
THE MOST ANCIENT GREEN MOVEMENT IN WORLD HISTORY
It is when we reflect on the challenge of climate change that we begin to appreciate the enormous contemporary relevance of the Jain philosophy of ahimsa and jiva daya. We realize that Bhagwan Mahavir and the other Jain Tirthankars were great environmental conservationists. They taught us that we human beings are merely trustees of this planet. We need to re-learn their teachings in our times. If we do so, we realize that eco-friendliness is not a mere fashionable phrase; it has to be interwoven into our development paradigm and also into our day-to-day living. In a sense, we all have to become adivasis or tribals who know how to exist in harmony with the earth. The earth takes care of us, and so we have to take care of her. In this sense, Jainism is the most ancient Green Movement in world history. --- Shri L. K. Advani, Jain International Trade Organization (JITO) Global Summit, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Jan 10, 2009.
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