Jain Heritage and Beyond

Author(s): Shailesh Shah
Publisher: Oshwal Associations of The UK

Page 91

The Way of Ahinsa
-- Pujyashri Chitrabhanuji
Man is caught between polarities: Between ignorance and enlightenment; between war and peace; between violence and non-violence. Man has a freedom of choice - to go down into the valley of hate and prejudice or rise to the height of forgiveness and friendliness. Now-a-days life is wounded and corroded with war and violence and the balm is the heart of Ahinsa. What is Ahinsa? Ahinsa is a sixpack quality of consciousness: Awareness - Harmony - Integration - Nobility - Service - Abstinence. A Stands for Awareness We need to see our own Self in the mirror of consciousness. And seeing ourselves, we draw our own portrait of what we want to become and of what we really are. If we go lovingly closer to our Self and experience our Self, we will be able to experience peace with others as with our Self. We will experience our true Self. "I am sentient energy, I am the one who is animating everything. So, why do I not animate my Self and those who come in touch with me?" Then we peacefully portray our own picture in harmony with the universe. We experience that "I am animating the body, I am animating the senses, and I am animating whatsoever I touch." This is the journey to self-realization. Though we often resist this, this journey has to start with ourselves. But the light of self-realization can be dazzling as even daylight can be dazzling to a person who has been sleeping for a long time in the dark. One has to train one's eyes to be ready to take the light of such realization, and we do that with meditation and increased awareness. As we become aware of our loving sentient energy, we go deeper and deeper to experience that "I am here to know my "I"-ness." When it dawns, we realize our oneness with all life. This is Ahinsa. H for Harmony Then "H" comes for harmony. "I will be a harmonious presence on this earth and will cause no harm." This is respect for all life. Vibrations of violence beget violence. If we focus on violence, then violence will be our habit. But if every day we think, "I am going to experience the presence of peace," we start feeling peace. Gradually we engulf ourselves with peaceful vibrations. If we live in this way, this will become our shield. This will become our support. This will also become our protector from outside violence. Vibrations of violence or vibrations of peace do not come from outside; they come from inside. In the beginning, there will be some kind of conflict, but respect your life. Say, "I am not going to create any violence to myself." And if any negative thought of hate, anger, resentment comes, say: "No, I don't want it. I am peace." Tell those violent thoughts, "Get out." Take them out just as we tell children, "Please, don't make noise; I want to sleep." In the same way, we tell our mind what to do. Sometimes it is easy to tell others, but it is much more difficult to tell our own self. Violence percolates from negativities. It comes from outside. Each individual has to take charge of oneself and create harmony in oneself. Unless we create peace inside, we won't be able to create peace outside. To tell others we use words but to tell ourselves, we have to have the experience of peace. It is easy to say words, but it is a challenge to tune into the feeling. To connect within, we meditate and experience peaceful presence of Reverence for Life. This way, the practice of harmony gradually permeates every cell of being.
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