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JAINISM AT STAKE
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shamefully profess their faith. I dare say, as a matter of fact, no religious education is given to them at all and what may be admitted at the most is that certain Sanskrit verses are got by rote by them to be repeated in their Puja as more incantations which would open the gates of Heaven for them. In fact no insight into their meanings and significance is ever given to them.
The spread of the religion is conditioned by a wider diffusion of knowledge about it. With the decay of the religious preachings the religion itself is at stake.
Right knowledge, Right Faith and Right Conduct are the three well known jewels of Jainism, yet their is nothing else among us which is more unreluctently allowed to be undermined as these fundamental principles of truth. Right Knowledge in the absence of adequate facilities and organised preaching is very difficult to be spread, Right Belief which comes after one has arrived at Right Knowledge has become a rarity, while Right Conduct which is fundamentally the outcone or the product of Right Knowledge and Right Belief has become conspicuous by its absence. Thus the three jewels on which the whole superstructure of Jainism depends" are being devoured apace and nothing is said." In fact as the poet would have it, We rot inwardly and rank
mist we draw."
Brothers; let us wake up and shake off all drowsiness; let us gird up our loins to act "with hearts within and God overhead Let us fit in the past to suit the present. Let us not blindly follow the past which urgently requires reshaping to be useful for the present. Let every one of us be united, for it is a trite saying "united we stand and divided we fall." Sink off all party differences; ring out the old and ring in the new. Let us evolve discipline and order out of the present mass of confusion and chaos. The only way of doing this is by organising ourselves into an active central body and then wait and see what cach one of us can do for the religion which is equally dear to all of us.
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
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