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Young Jains Embracing the Path of Renunciation
By Paritosh Shah, Parasdham, Mumbai
Jain
Born in the lap of luxury, life for 22-year-old Akhil Doshi was one big party till the day he decided to renounce it all and become a Jain monk. Akhilbhai is one amongst the eight youngsters who embraced the vows of Jain Diksha under the aegis of Rashtrasant Pujya Gurudev Shree Namramuni Maharaj Saheb. The Diksha ceremony that was conducted on February 14, 2016; has left a lasting impression on India's consumption capital, Mumbai.
What brought about this transition in their lives? Why did they shun a life of abundance and a prospering career to embrace the simplistic lifestyle of renunciation? How did they follow their inner calling after having dwelled in a materialistic world?
Let's read a few excerpts extracted from countrywide Talk Shows, where the 8 Navdikshits (then Diksharthis) had heart to heart conversations with youngsters like themselves about the path they had chosen for life.
Q. How can spirituality help the youngsters of today? Our education system teaches us how to achieve Success. However, there is no one to guide us on how to deal with failure. An understanding of how to balance the mind when confronted with either success or failure is what spirituality can give the youth of today.
Q. What is Dharma according to you? A. Dharma for me is a process of developing my INNER QUALITIES. It is not just a set of ideologies and beliefs, rites and rituals. Any act which catalyzes our endeavor to nurture our inner qualities is dharma. We've always worshipped Bhagwan Mahavir, but in reality, dharma is a step further than that. It is one's effort to become LIKE Mahavir!
Q. Being a Science Student, how did you turn towards Religion? A. Science helps us understand the 'How' behind everything - How are we born? How does the human brain work? How does age affect the body? And so on. Religion, on the other hand, gives us answers for the 'Why' behind everything... Why are we born? Why do people have different levels of intelligence? Why does the body change with age? So I think religion is a deeper science. Therefore, being a science student, I have been able to understand the importance of religion better.
Q. What brought about the transition in your life from a career of Chartered Accountancy, to a life of Charitra Angikar (Saiyam)? A. I was very competitive since childhood and I wanted to be the best at whatever I did, be it academics, dance, debates, skating or even my career in Chartered Accountancy. But one Shibir in Pujya Gurudev's sanidhya threw light upon the course of my whole life. On one hand were my aspirations, and on the other hand was a totally different individual, asking herself, 'What is your achievement from all your achievements?
It was an eye opener. We keep aspiring for more and more, till we reach the end of our life and realize that our net worth is still zero. And thus, competing with the world is no longer my dream, I now wish to compete with myself every single day and enrich my inner wealth with my inner qualities.
Q. What is the importance of having a Guru in life? A. I was born in a very religiously rooted family. And thus, practicing the traditions of dharma was a part of my daily routine. However, that made me a Jain by birth, not a Jain by character. Only after meeting Pujya Gurudev, was I able to grasp the real essence of dharma. A Guru is not someone who gives you knowledge, he is the one who awakens your own inner voice and ignites the knowledge that lies within you. Pujya Gurudev's presence in my life was just that. He made me realize that dharma is not a road to end one's difficulties; it is the road to discover the reality, the truth.
Q. What drives you towards renunciation at such a young age? A. When one is born in a family where he asks for one thing, and he is offered 10, there's nothing more that he can possibly
want. I was blessed to have such a family. But when I met Pujya Gurudev, his simple yet profound exposition of the truth 22 hit me really hard. It made me realize that even though I had so much, in reality, I had NOTHING! The shallowness
