Jain Society Houston TX 1995 11 Pratistha

Author(s): Jain Society Houston TX
Publisher: USA Jain Society Houston TX

Page 72

Celebrating Jain Society of Houston Pratishtha Mahotsav 1995
On the contrary it clearly states that the individual is gifted with a certain amount of freedom of will. It emphatically declares that the soul is invested with the freedom to exercise its own resolution. Acting under its own free will, it can break the heaviest fetters of this karma. The lord of its own fate.
A young Brahmin trudging along was startled by a scream of terror. A Harijan girl - an outcaste - had been bitten by a cobra. Failing to get anything to check the venom from spreading through the blood stream, he snapped his holy thread with his pen-knife. tied it tightly round the foot and saved her life.
Good deeds that spring from love, compassion, charity, hospitality and selfless service secure the basis of happiness, whereas bad or undesirable deeds will sow the seeds of future sorrow.
A cry of sacrilege was raised by the orthodox. Could anything be more sacrilegious than the holy thread being tied around the foot of an untouchable? The answer given by the youth was very brief, but to the point. What could be more humane than the saving of a human life with a holy thread? A humanitarian approach to life is holler than the mere wearing of a holy thread. Religion has to be practical and not theoretical. It should pulsate with life.
Life existed before this birth and will continue to do so after death. It is here on this shore and will be there on the opposite shore, too. In between is the flow of birth and death. Because of karma and attachments, the soul has to revolve in the cycle of birth and death.
Bhagwan Mahavir while explaining the true nature of the soul said:
The aim of religion is to establish peace and harmony both at home and in society. Love and tolerance alone can promote concord at home and elsewhere. The spirit of amity if understood well can bridge the gulf between one religion and another as between one nation and another.
"The nature of the soul is like that of a hollow gourd, i.e. it keeps afloat. But when this hollow gourd is given several coats of clay, then, even though its inherent capacity is to keep afloat. it will sink."
Appreciation and compassion are in a way two other aspects of amity.
Similarly, a soul coated with violence, falsehood, dishonesty, intemperance, anger, pride, hypocrisy and greed becomes heavy; despite afloat, it sinks to the its original virtue to keep afloat. But when the layers on the gourd peel off one after another, it will gradually recover its tendency to keep afloat. So, too the soul. Were it to get rid of the eight vices by acquiring eight corresponding virtues - non-violence, truth, honesty, temperance, forgiveness, modesty, simplicity and generosity - it could unburden itself and regain its natural virtues of lightness and volatility.
Appreciation: In this world we come across those who are better than we are in many different ways. Too often we see the sad spectacle of men filled with envy for those who are more fortunate than themselves. Our prayer teaches us that we should learn to appreciate those who are better, admire them if they are worthier than we are, whether or not they are of the same religion, race or country If this is practiced, much of the envy and jealousy we find in this world will be removed.
Having explained the four pillars of Jain philosophy, let me get back to the prayer in which I have asked our conduct to be guided by: amity, appreciation, compassion and equanimity.
Compassion: Compassion should govern our attitude towards those who are less fortunate than we are. It should extend even to the erring and the criminal. After all, when Jainism believes that living beings often suffer because of their past misdeeds, does it not behoove a true Jain to extend compassion rather than criticism to one who pays for misdeeds of the past?
By amity we mean the attainment of a mentality which would want to be friendly with and bare goodwill towards, one and all. Just as the dry bed of a lake is crisscrossed with a myriad of cracks because it is devoid of fresh water, similarly a religion that is not sweetened with the milk of human kindness is soon weakened by the cracks of internal dissensions.
Equanimity: Equanimity is more of an introspectivo virtue. It governs our attitude towards ourselves, irrespective of the world around us. We achieve a certain balance of the mind that remains unruffled in spite of the vicissitudes of life. Whether the world treats us well or ill, whether we reap a reward for our good deeds or not, we should maintain that serenity of mind that brings contentment in its wake.
Mere austerity may shrivel up our nature. Even as we do penance and practice renunciation, our heart must be full of love. What supports this on a wide-world basis? Surely not the much trumpeted deeds of the blustering heroes but the silent sacrifice of the humble servers of humanity: little deeds of amity such as the one you will hear presently.
"Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned"
(Author Unknown)
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