Jain Digest 2007 04

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

Page 52

Jain Digest. Summer 2007
VIEW POINT
Growing up in Jain family, I learned from the childhood Mahavideh Ksetra'. How did they achieve omniscience in that the ultimate goal in life is "Moksha" (liberation). I was this 'Ara'? Yes, I am aware of another 'belief that Mahavideh also conditioned to believe that in this time period and in Kshetra is frozen in time; perpatually in the fourth ara!!! the next time cycle and in the following one.... for several Even then, what is stopping us from transmigrating in other millions more years, it is impossible for us to achieve our sectors like Mahavideh Kshetra? goal from this sector of the universe (Bharat Kshetra). I was
Let us look at a related example. Until few years ago it was doomed to failure even before I start! Quite discouraging
discouraging believed that humans couldn't run faster than a mile in four isn't it? and yet during my formative years this belief was
minutes. The root of this belief goes back to Roman period, perpetuated by all the monks I met. Needless to say I lost where they made tigers run after athletes to see how fast they all desire to meet any monks neither I had any desire for
could run. After several attempts and few dead athletes, it "Moksha"
was established that it is beyond human capacity to run any Then few yeas ago during one of my trips to a rural village faster than four minute/mile. For centuries people believed in Kutch, an incident happened that sparked my thinking. in it giving different reasoning like; we don't have enough We were traveling on dirt road and our taxi got stuck in muscle power, or our lungs are too small; or our physiology the soft, sandy ditch. Despite of all our effort, we could not is too weak etc... get out of the ditch. Suddenly we saw a farmer with a bull,
Then came Roger Banister just a few years ago, who believed plowing the field at a distance. We called him and asked if
in him and completely ignored the old limiting belief. He he could help. He replied, “I only have one bull "Gopal"
became the first runner to break the four-minute/mile and he is blind but lets try anyway. He hitched Gopal to barrier What is even more fascinating is that the following the car and said, "Pull Junas pull". Gopal did not move.
year 37 athletes crossed that limit and the year after, over "Pull Kisan pull" he shouted. Gopal just stood there. "Pull
300 athletes achieved that distinction. What happened? Laloo pull" he bellowed with no result. Finally he said "Pull
What could not be achieved for thousands of years was Gopal pull" and Gopal pulled the car right out. I thanked
suddenly achievable. What changed? - The Belief. Once him and than asked “I am a little curious, why did you
people believed that this was achievable, and then the task first call the other three names?" He replied softly “you see,
that was earlier considered to be insurmountable; now Gopal is blind, but if he thought that he had to do all this
became possible to achieve. work by himself, he wouldn't even try"!!!
Modern research in human sciences has proven repeatedly Even the farmer in that tiny village understood the basic
that what a human is capable of achieving, is just incredible psychology that if you want anything achieved, an individual
and beyond the imagination of ordinary people. However, involved in the effort, must be convinced that it is an
our belief is programmed in to our nervous system and achievable task. So why would our religious scholars give
works as a thermostat. We can rise only as high as our belief. us a discouraging belief? I think that it is a self-fulfilling
If we try to go beyond that, our brain starts an opposing prophecy. If you believe you cannot achieve, you will never mechanism of cooling to push us back to the level of the achieve.
set temperature (i.e. our belief). Mahavirswami knew that. In my understanding, Jainism gives us hope not And he taught us that the inherent qualities of our soul discouragement. According to Jain philosophy, every soul are: Infinite knowledge, infinite perception, infinite energy large or small is capable of achieving liberation through and bliss. In other words we have within us every thing we his/her own effort. This effort is independent of others. need to achieve anything we want: including the ultimate Independent of some author or monk's views or the grace --liberation. of 'God'. Independent of the time and space we live in. By Fortunately beliefs are not permanent and they can be actively seeking to overcome our own passions like anger,
changed. It is up to us which one to embrace. So why
chane ego, deceit and greed four attachments and aversions, we
embrace any limiting beliefs? Remember, If you believe can indeed free ourselves of our "Karmas' and thus ultimately
you would succeed or if you believe you would fail - You achieve liberation regardless of the time-cycle we are in. In
are right! What you believe is all you can achieve: nothing fact Jains believe that 'Arihants' do exist even today in other
more, nothing less. sectors of the universe. For example: Simandharswami in
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