Jaina Philosophy

Author(s): Virchand R Gandhi, Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: World Jain Confederation

Page 79

OPOMODORO
- The Jaina Philosophy Knowledge is power, and every person that has a desire for real power must know – that is, must know if there are higher and more subtle forces that operate on and within us and shape in a measure our destiny, and then study their laws so that you can ultimately exercise a wise control over them. Possibilities of the human soul are infinite. Let him or her who has the slightest desire to know the inner capacities of the self, study that self, learn how to analyze his or her mind, so that by the knowledge acquired he or she can control the lower self and bring into prominence the higher one. In this way this sacrifice of time and money benefits the sacrificer, as well as others.
Just think how much we sacrifice by simply catering to our lower desires, emotions and caprices, such a sacrifice of money, time or energy does not really produce any spiritual benefit in return; we do it because of our slavish obedience to the customs and etiquette of an ever-changing society. If we sacrifice so much for pleasing "society' may we not have sufficient courage to ignore the opinions of those that have never thought on the higher possibilities of soul, and decide to actually do something for our spiritual advancement? Let those that have time spend a portion of it in studying the latent forces of the soul. Let those that have money help themselves and others desirous of acquiring such knowledge.
With the performance of the five above named sacrifices, animal man becomes human. The law of the survival of the strongest in the barbaric state of man made him a destructive creature, so that all the time his animal nature prompted him to live on the sacrifice of others. With the turn of moral change in his life, he no longer lives on the weak, but learns to protect them, and even makes sacrifices so that they may be happy and comfortable.
This sublime law of sacrifice has often been misinterpreted and abused. The Brahmins in India and the Jews in Palestine
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