Jain Center Essex Fells NJ 1993 04 Ten Years Celebration

Author(s): Jain Center Essex Fells NJ
Publisher: USA Jain Center New Jersey

Page 78

10th Anniversary Celebration
FROM “I” TO “WE”
Man has been striving after discovering real peace since time immemorial. Unfortunately, efforts have not been made to discover this peace where it can really be found. We have found illusions of peace, but not real peace. One can force a man to hold his peace by aiming the gun. Another kind of peace can be achieved by living in blissful ignorance or in the false glamour of illusions. But this is the peace of death, not the peace of life. The real living peace is to be discovered within the soul of man, and not in the world outside. Real peace emerges when man succeeds in the world outside. Real peace emerges when man succeeds in curtailing his desires and controlling his desires and controlling his passions. when the intense desire for human service awakens in the heart of man, then, and only then, man can bring down the blessings of heaven on earth.
Man has explored the sky, discovered the secrets of the earth, and fathomed the depth of the ocean. Man has discovered the hidden power in the atom and invented nuclear weapons on the basis of this knowledge. Man has discovered every hidden secret of the universe. But unfortunately man has not yet succeeded in discovering and understanding his fellow men with whom he constantly lives.
“I” and “MINE” are the poisons of life. They keep the man bound in the narrow circle of "self.” Man hears the voice of his own self and remains attached to his own desires and passions. As soon as these desires of the 'self' are broken and as soon as man learns to love the "Non-self," he begins to emanate spiritual light. Streams of love, compassion, and kindness begins to flow out from his heart. Man will bring heavenly blessings to society in proportion as the sense of "T” decreases and that of "WE” increases in the human heart. Where there is "I," there is pride, there is vanity, there is cowardice, jealousy, greed, temptation, and discontentment. When there is “WE," there is innocence, there is love, there is unity. “I” is narrow and confined, "WE" is universal and unconfined.
There is danger all around for a small drop of water. The dry earth seeks to absorb it; the gust of wind tries to waft it away; the scorching rays of the sun are out to evaporate it; and the thirsty bird is eager to swallow it. If the drop of water has to preserve its identity, it must merge its small entity within the ocean. It must change itself from its small size of the drop to the large size of the ocean. The ocean has no fear, no danger. Storms and tempests may blow, millions of animals and birds may drink water in it, the burning rays of the sun may scorch it , lighting and thunder may seek to thwart it, but the ocean has no fear from any of them. This is because the ocean has no fear from any of them. This is because the ocean is large; it is immense. There is no fear to its existence. This analogy is applicable to human life also. "T" and "MINE” are small entities, like a drop of water. “WE” and “OUR" are large and immense like the ocean, and therefore they have no fear in the world. Therefore "I" must change into “WE."
Compiled by: Chandrakant B. Mehta