Jain Digest 2002 04

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 16

THE CONCEPT OF TAP FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE (cont.)
If acceptance is not wholehearted, there is scope for desiring an alternative, there is scope for preference. Such scope is bound to lead to conflict. When I say that I prefer to have sweet dish, my mind automatically develops a distaste or even rejection of other dishes. So I divide the food in two parts, sweet and non-sweet. That is the way of dividing a thing in two categories of liking and disliking. That leads to affection for the former and disaffection for the latter.
Real acceptance denotes no selection, no choice. Happiness and unhappiness are the two sides of the same coin. One may feel happy with one thing, while another may feel unhappy about it. There is nothing, which can be objectively happy. When the feeling of happiness is so subjective, what is there to be chosen about? No welcoming of the so called happy situations and no aversion for the unhappy ones. Simply feel pleased with what is available; no demand, no expectation, no preference. Merely stay pleased. Pleasure is the inherent attribute of soul. Staying with that attribute is religion. Remaining pleased with the existing situation constitutes Tap. That is also true worship. The great ascetic poet Änandghanaji has therefore said that the fruit of worship lies in the pleasure of mind.
It is, however, noticed that many observers of Tap remain away from pleasure. They generally appear to be gloomy. This is so, because they happen to be undertaking Tap for gaining something that they do not have. They hardly have any concept of acceptance; they endeavor to get something. Thereby they have been trying to run away from the existing situation. That is a negative approach and cannot lead to pleasure. They remain gloomy or Udäs..
The scriptures, no doubt, lay down to maintain Udäsinatä, but that does not mean to remain Udas. Most people do not realize the difference between Udas and Udäsinatä. The former denotes the state of sadness or gloominess and that is a negative approach. The latter denotes remaining above all the circumstances. Different circumstances are bound to arise from time to time. We hardly have any control over them. Then why worry about them? We are better to stay above circumstance. That is called Udäsinatä. Staying that way is the positive approach.
Let us take an example of staying above. Suppose a person tumbles down and his leg bone is broken. He undergoes surgery and awaits recovery. Meanwhile, he groans on account of acute pain. He may be given some pain killer and he may feel that the pain has subsided. But as soon as the effect of the medicine is over, he starts feeling the pain again. Instead of that, if he considers himself apart from the leg and starts dispassionately observing the pain, he would lose the sense of feeling pain. Such staying above need not be considered imaginary. It has been experimented and found successful.
14 / JAIN DIGEST. SUMMER 2002
Jain Education Intemational
Now let us put it with the help of a simile. A river might be flowing towards the sea. On the way it passes through a forest and the shade of the trees falls on the water. The river, however, does not take notice of it and proceeds ahead. Then it may pass through the hills and the water may be heated by the heat emanating from the heated rocks. The river still remains unaffected and continues to flow towards its destination. Similarly our consciousness, Chaitanya as it is called, is not static. It also continues to flow till it reaches the destination, the salvation. Like the river it also passes through different situations on its way. The difference is that the river is not aware of what happens, while Chaitanya knows what happens. But unlike the river, it reacts to such situations favorably or unfavorably. This happens on account of the ignorance about its own true nature. Thereby, it prolongs the period of reaching the destination.
Once, a person becomes aware of his true nature, he tries to restrain reacting to any situation. He cultivates dispassionateness at an ever-increasing level. The lifestyle of a truly religious person thus undergoes radical change. He remains pleased with whatever he gets. To him, everything seems pleasurable. He knows that pleasure arises from within, not from without. He also knows that all situations are temporary and are going to disappear sooner or later. Even situations that one craves for are ephemeral. As such the religious person wholeheartedly accepts the given situation without even thinking of changing it.
The question may arise, 'Would that not lead to inactivity?' Prima facie, it may seem so; but actually acceptance does not denote inactivity. By activity, we mean exercising the faculties of mind, speech and body. That can be exercised rightly or wrongly. But when we accept the given situation, we do not have any motive to change it. As such, there is no need to exercise those faculties wrongly. Moreover, acceptance of the situations denotes that we also accept that we are parents or children, brothers or sisters and so on. It means that we accept to play the role given to us as a relative, a neighbor, a citizen or a human being. Thus, in the worldly life we are expected to continue the appropriate activities. Even if a person renounces the worldly life, he needs play the monastic role. True acceptance thus precludes inactivity. If there is any scope for inactivity, it would be restricted to the unwholesome areas.
At times the concept of Tap is grossly misunderstood; many people take it as giving pain to the body and mind. Käyäklesh is admitted as an external Tap. Literally, it means giving pain to the body. But that does not mean giving invitation to pain or misery. That Tap is actually meant for training the body to bear a tough life. The intention is not to be susceptible to breaking down, when we come across the hard times.
(continuing on page 9)