Jain Spirit 2003 10 No 16

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 38

LIFESTYLE
I Take Full Responsibility
I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY
Chetana Catherine Florida chooses to inspire and liberate
ne of the greatest gifts of wisdom I have gained in this I also became conscious that if I was aware of a negative lifetime is to realise that I am ultimately responsible for thought, I could deliberately choose an action that would be
being happy or sad, joyful or sorrowful, optimistic or positive, thus changing the circular consequences that had pessimistic, loving or hating. Someone else or something else can me trapped. If I was able to do that, then I could eventually not be responsible for the choices I make or for the consequences free myself from the negative consequences. As I did this, of my actions. This wisdom allows me to see that neither God nor a change came about and slowly I began to have a life filled anyone else is trying to make my life miserable, when I am trying more with light and love. to be a 'good' person. Through meditation I started gaining an
I also learned that it depends on how many times I may awareness that it was me, myself and only I who through my have knowingly or unknowingly repeated an action that will choices in thoughts, words and
be played out in my life in actions made myself happy or sad,
some way at some point. I optimistic or pessimistic, loving or
realised that just as one hating.
meditation does not change Through meditation I gained
the whole of my being, one the knowledge that with every
good action does not change action there is a consequence and
the pattern of negative actions there is also a choice of how I
either. Still, it is a beginning, respond to that consequence. If I
Each time I choose a positive choose to respond negatively,
action instead of negative then I certainly can expect some
one, I am building a positive negativity to come to me. The
consequence and a new more I meditated, the more I saw
pattern of positive actions how important it was not only to
that will little by little replace watch my thoughts but also to
the negative pattern from the become very clear that I am the
past. In making positive one who can and will make the
choices, I gradually free decision; I have the choice of
myself from the actions that what I want to do with that
made me unhappy. thought. I may choose to seek out
Meditation makes all of a positive outcome but get
this possible. Meditation was negatively involved with my
and is the most important thoughts, and then I will
action for me to take to heal experience a negative outcome.
my being. I also found that I The second realisation I had
could work with daily was the experience that there is
affirmations, and they would power in the spoken word. I
be the seeds of future actions began to choose words that would
in the garden of my mind. flower with beauty rather than
Before meditation. I felt pierce like thorns. What or whom
powerless over the circumMeditation helps us accept the joys and sorrows we hurt will eventually in some
stances in my life. Through
of life with equanimity way come back to haunt us. If
meditation, however, I feel they are hurtful words, we will be hurt; if they are loving words, the power of being able to re-create my life with loving love will come to us in response.
thoughts, loving words and loving actions. Thirdly, I gained an understanding about my actions: they did not just appear by themselves. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind a thought triggered my actions. If it was a good The late Chetana Catherine Florida was the founder of The thought, it would lead to a good action. If, however, my Lighthouse Beacon, a non-profit organisation in Michigan, thought was a bad one, my action would follow through as bad. USA. She was strongly influenced by Jain philosophy.
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Jain Spirit September - November 2003