Jain Lesson II

Author(s): JAINA Education Committee
Publisher: Diwakar Prakashan

Page 60

“enemy" and Hant means "destroyer". So Arihant
literally means "destroyer of enemies." Payal : But, sir, the other day you said that Jains do not
hurt anyone. Then how can our Lord Arihanta be
a destroyer? I do not understand that. Teacher : Payal, you are right. As a Jain, we are not supposed
to hurt or destroy anyone. An Arihant's enemies were not animals, bugs or people like you and me Arihantas did not have any enemies outside but
they were from within. Amar : The enemies within!!! Teacher : Sometimes we get mad at friends, brothers or
sisters for very small matters. Sometimes we hide our toys when our friends come over to our house. We also cry at the mall when our parents don't let us buy toys. Some kids show off in their class and act as if they know everything. These tendencies may look good to us at that time and we may consider ourselves smart, but those thoughts are evil tendencies and sooner or later, they are going to get us in trouble. These tendencies are our wrong desires. They are not good. Since they stay within us. They are our inner enemies. Shila, does this make sense to you? Can our desires
be our enemies? Shila : Yes Sir, now it makes sense. I remember the other
day when I got mad at my best friend. She stopped talking to me. A few days later, when I really
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