Jainism Abroad

Author(s): Pratap J Tolia
Publisher: Vardhaman Bharati International Foundation

Page 23

Dr. John Moneesco: O.K. next one, Go ahead.
Listener 2(A Female voice): Dr. John Monelesco: I would like to know, when you were in India, did you eat in a restaurant and if you did eat what was the food?
Dr. John Monelesco: In a restaurant here, we get anything. In a Muslim restaurant you get Fork, if you go to a Hindu restaurant, you get beef. But in India, in a Hindu restaurant, you can't get bee, you get beef in a Muslim restaurant. I had good food, don't worry, but I paid through my nose for it, naturally.
Listener 2: Do they believe in taking Vitamins?
Dr. T.J. Salagia: Sure Ya. Dr. John Monelesco: I don't know about vitamins, but they used to have a lot of herbs - Ayurveda recipes - herbs and plants - some of them are excellent and I wish our herbalists here would go to India and study a little bit of Ayurveda, because they do have herbs for everything.
Listener 2: Well, this is a very interesting programme.
Dr. John Monelesco: As long as you can understand it, do you?
Listener 2: Yes, I do. I understand everything he said.
Dr. John Monelesco: All right, let's listen to what the other guy has to say.
Listener 3: I once saw a film on your Philosophy, particularly focussing on your meditation. Is there much of this going on? I found it very constructive. I wonder if he might throw some light on it.
Dr. T.J. Salagia: Yes correct.
Dr. John Monelesco: (Addressing to Prof. Pratapkumar Toliya) Talk about your principles of Meditation as they exist in Jainism and if they differ from the Maharshi - type.
Prof. Pratapkumar J. Toliya: Yes, they are different.
Listener 3: Thank you, your response to Dr. John Monelesco's question about how does your religion not cow people into accumulating less?
Dr. John Monelesco: You heard my remarks - You did mention my question of Marx - we should tell the people out there is a common ground between Karl Marx and Jainism in as much as you are deploring possession - you believe much in private property, but in collective property. And you don't want people to accumulate much or earn more than what they carry along.
Dr. T. J. Salagia: Well, there is a philosophy behind it - if you have more money, the more problems you will create for yourself: Your greed increases and you'll never give up - your body and soul will be completely rapt up with Karmas and desire and your egoism. Then you will never develop. On the other hand, the less you possess it is better for you. You should maintain a bare minimum, what you need.
Dr. John Monelesco: This is a beautiful Philosophy of collectivism and of course, remaining poor - a beautiful idealistic percept. But just think, what would happen to society, if we people had taken up Jainism. I'm talking about Christians and Hindus alike. We would still be in the jungle. So, in a way, we are looking down on the people who make money, who advocate it and who are accumulating it. On the other hand, we are in need of them badly because if they are not