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NEW THOUGHTS/45
These statements from Jain literature emphatically proclaim the independence of all souls. By corollary, all souls are equal. Mahapragya unfolds the hidden truth behind these valuable lines. His interpretation is that if we are responsible entirely for our state of affairs, why cultivate hatred or ill towards others? Mahapragya has undertaken Ahimsa-Yatra to travel far and wide with a slogan - Mitti Me Savva Bhuvesu' - meaning thereby, 'let we all be friends'. Readers will be further enlightened by the two historical episodes narrated here.
Indra became very happy with the continued penance of an ascetic. He visited the yogi and offered his vajra saying, "Keep this weapon with you so that you can overpower your enemies." Yogi calmly refused stating, "Indra, all beings are my friends, no one is my adversary. I do not need your vajra." Confucius was deeply absorbed in his philosophical meditation, then the King of China passed by. Having received no salutation from Confucius, the king confronted him, “Who are you?” Confucius replied, “I am the King.” “Where is your army then”, came another question. Confucius repartee, “Army is needed by those who have enemies, I do not have a single foe" compelled the king to bow to the great philosopher. We thus see that the universal friendship has two aspects – Limited Friendship - Desiring other's welfare is most practical form of friendship. But this has its limits. We can benefit others only to the extent of our own physical, mental and monetary capacity. In spite of these confines, it is an important aspect of practical life. A teacher imparts knowledge to his pupils; parents pass on all the skills to their children - these are all various aspects of friendliness. This is important for the healthy social life to evolve from strength to strength. Limitless Friendship - Desiring nobody's harm is within the capacity of every individual. Therefore, it has no boundaries. But, this is easier said than done. Jains have notion of subsistence of life in Earth, Fire, Flora and Water. In the Acharang-Sutra, it is explained that these four elements are just like an unconscious body, which manifests no movement, but has all the feelings. So, not harming the humans and animals is not good enough, we must not commit violence against plants and environment too. In Jain belief, the plants differ only in their capacity to move, otherwise, they manifest all the properties of living beings. What scientists are learning today about the ecological balance and environment protection was very well known to the Jains even two thousand five hundred years back!
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