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Jaina Philosophy and Religion
Just as man is reborn in his progeny through his blood and semen, even so he is reborn in his pupils, associates and neighbours through his thoughts. As are our conduct and thoughts, so is their influence on the minds of our pupils, associates and near ones. Man is such a social animal that knowingly or unknowingly he influences others and others influence him. He is no doubt responsible for his own improvement or degeneration, but at the same time he also contributes directly or indirectly to the rise and fall of the entire human society. The progeny procreated by man's semen and blood may, with its efforts, rid itself of the evil impressions received from its progenitors through their blood and semen. But the progeny created by man's thoughts can hardly regain its health, once a drop of poison of evil thought is transmitted to it. Each grown up man of the present time has his eyes fixed on the new generation. Some administer to it the intoxicant drink of sectarianism, others that of racism, still others that of family pride, so on and so forth. One knows not as to how many isms their perverse intellect has invented to produce intoxicants of different colours. They give these intoxicants to new generation to drink in the attractive bowls of religion, culture, society, nation, etc. and thereby deprave it in order to protect the superiority of their class, to strengthen and stabilize their power, and to further their vested interests. Under the influence of infatuation, they do not hesitate to perpetrate cruelty and oppression on their own brethren, forgetting the natural equality of all human beings. When in the present evil-ridden strange age, this is the condition of men in their mutual relationship, then where is the scope of our talking about man's duty to protect, feed and take care of animals?
The right knowledge of the real nature of the life-force or conscious principle is the supreme light. Once it flashes in the human mind, it removes all defilements and ignorance from it, enlightens it and leads man on the all-auspicious and all-blissful path.
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