Jain Spirit 2003 12 No 17

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

Page 55

East And West
W
It is imperative to build bridges towards greater harmony of east and west
physical strength but in fullness of truth; that the right hand, which wields the sword, has need of the left, which holds the shield of safety.
The East has its seat in the vast plains watched over by the snow-peaked mountains and fertilised rivers carrying mighty volumes of water to the sea. There, under the blaze of tropical sun, the physical life has bedimmed the light of its vigour and lessened its claims. There man has had the repose of mind which has ever tried to set itself in harmony with the inner notes of existence. In the silence of sunrise and sunset and on starcrowded nights, he has sat face to face with the Infinite, waiting for the revelation that opens up the heart of all that there is. He has said, in a rapture of realisation: "Hearken to me, ye children of the Immortal, who dwell in the Kingdom of Heaven. I have known, from beyond darkness, the Supreme Person, shining with the radiance of the sun."
The man from the East, with his faith in the eternal, who in his soul has met the touch of the Supreme Person - did he never come to you in the West and speak to you of the Kingdom of Heaven? Did he not unite the East and the West in truth, in the unity of one spiritual bond between all children of the Immortal, in the realisation of one great Personality in all human persons?
Yes, the East did once meet the West profoundly in the growth of her life. Such union became possible, because the East came to the West with the ideal that is creative and not
with the passion that destroys moral bonds. The mystic consciousness of the Infinite, which she brought with her, was greatly needed by the man of the West to give him his balance.
On the other hand, the East must find her own balance in science - the magnificent gift that the West can bring to her. Truth has its nest as well as its sky. That nest is definite in structure, accurate in law of construction, and though it has to be changed and rebuilt over and over again, the need for it is never-ending and its laws are eternal. For some centuries the East has neglected the nest building of truth. She has not been attentive to learn its secret. Trying to cross the trackless infinite, the East has relied solely upon her wings. She has spurned the earth, till, buffeted by storms, her wings are hurt and she is tired, sorely needing help. But then, does she have to be told that the messenger of the sky and the builder of the nest shall never meet?
Rabindranath Tagore was one of India's greatest poets and has written a number of books and articles. The above is an edited extract from the book 'Rabindranath Tagore - An Anthology. Edited by Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson, 1997.
DIGITAL IMAGE OF HARBOUR BRIDGE, SYDNEY: JAMES MATURIN-BAIRD
December 2003 - February 2004
Jain Spirit 53