________________
168
Jaina Philosophy and Religion
Real saints give the society much more than what they receive. So the society remains always indebted to them. And such persons have the moral right to demand from it the proper necessities of life. Whatever and to whatever extent the society may give to them, it will always remain less than what the society has gained from them.
Universal love can be called spiritual love. It depends on the development of spiritual life. The attitude of one's identity with others goes on expanding and the affection for others becomes more and more free from defilements as the mind attains more and more purity. Removal of enmity, pride, attachment, hatred, anger, etc., means the purification of mind. Mind attains purity on the removal of all these defilements. Process of reducing attachment and other passions is the process of purifying mind. As passions continuously become milder and milder, the unwholesome and evil thinking gradually wanes and wholesome and good thinking gradually waxes. When in the favourable and adverse circumstances, the mind does not get agitated, does not lose its balance and does not come under the sway of attachment and aversion, then alone it can be said that the practice of purifying mind is advancing in the right direction. When this practice is continuous and conducted with vigilance and attains firm standing, then at last the state of absolute non-attachment and steadfast intellect is attained. On the occasions of tempting and distressing worldly events, one should reflect on their fleeting nature, contemplate on the momentariness of the pleasures derived from worldly objects, and understand that joy generated by infatuation ends in misery as also that association and separation, birth and death, pleasure and pain, etc., are invariably and inevitably associated with worldly existence. Conducting reflection on this line and cultivating understanding of this sort, one should keep one's mind placid and peaceful.
Purity of mind is attained gradually. Path of mental purification becomes easily treadable, if one properly controls one's sense-organs. Agitation of mind gets almost removed after long time long journey'. So one should not be depressed on account of the occasional manifestation of mental agitation, instead one should always keep one's sense-organs under control and be ever vigilant.' As soon as one gains firm victory over one's 1. tani sarvāni samyamya yukta äsita matparaḥ /
vase hi yasyendriyāni tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitä //-Bhagavad-Gita, II.61
Having curbed all the senses, he should remain unagitated and calm and completely surrender to God. For, when he brings his senses under control, his intelligence is firmly set and steady.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
