Jainism Abroad

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

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and Intellectually. An information-equipped child, indicating about his intellectual base posed me a Question: "INDIA IS A POOR COUNTRY, HOW COULD YOU AFFORD TO COME ALL THE WAY TO U.S.A"? To quench his inquisitiveness, I had to reply, 'By my Masters grace, by the help from friends and by my efforts'..
My visit to the next stops of Boston and Washington providing a number of worth - seeing Historical, Architectural, Scientific space Museums at NASA and several others, after performing vocal and instrumental (Sitar) Music, a little meditation and discussions, provided me with the same ever-growing inquisitiveness of not only the school children but even of the college students, who continuously participated., not only in my musical renderings but also in my meditation sessions and discussions sittings, I realized that where the Indian college students are either striving in poverty or losing aimlessly or getting sidetracked or lost from the moral base and spiritual main-stream of Indian Culture, at least half of the American College Students, if not all are full of thinking knowledge, and striving hard for acquiring the same, be it moral and spiritual knowledge or material scientific researches. My visit to the studious students of Berkeley University in California further strengthened, this observation of mine. I amazingly felt that Indian Students have much more to get and learn from the strenuous and resourceful American Students than either to criticize or to blindly copy them.
Not only the students, most of the young people, even the young girls and ladies seemed to be studious, inquisitive and aspiring for higher values of life. At my radio interview, at public meetings and sittings, at public spot and places, at the plane journeys mostly everywhere I found them either reading or inquiring and learning or talking seriously and nowhere gossiping and idly wasting their time at all (or hardly) indulging as uselessly gossiping, speaking ill: of others and discussing. If they criticized it used to be on sound intellectual ground and mostly for knowing more and not for getting you down. What I was impressed more, was their awakening and their honest and genuine growing interest in spirituality. That is why several Indian Gurus and Babas whether true or false-all overflow there now: a days.In fact, in name of spirituality, some so called Indian Gurus, seem to be spoiling, the fair names of Vivekananda, Aurobindo, Rajchandra and Mahatma Gandhji's India and misusing the genuine American seekers, but not inspiring the young American seekers, who are restless, being fed up with material achievements and are looking at Indian internal spiritual way with great hopes. Will it not be our unpardonable crime, if we misuse their faith and thirst and also do not present the true right form of Indian Spirituality before them? The long studied observation of modern Indian seers and philosophers of life like Sri. J. Krishnamurti is worth knowing and studying in this regard, for which anything more than a reference is not possible and appropriate here.
I was talking of the growing interest of the young students, girls and ladies, to cite one out of several incidents, I was flying to Los Angeles from San-Francisco. In this short hour long flight, the co-passenger in my next seat was also lost in her book and we were unaware and unacquainted of each other during the first quarter of the hour. After the falling down of her Books and papers from her hands and the Second Interruption of the Air Hostess, we had a little time to talk, while seeing and lifting her fallen book on meditation written by some Zen Buddhist Author, I just surprisingly asked 'o, You are also interested in Mediation ?", "Oh, yes, I do, it's giving me a lot of peace, that all I need--- Will you like to see it ?", she asked courteously and I replied, "Certainly I shall be most happy to see it, since I am also interested in Mediation."
"Oh, are you?" she exclaimed and continued, "You might have some Guru in India?" Yes, I am really fortunate to have my "Self-realized, Great Yogic Masters and Holy Mother in India". And then she was interested a lot, left her reading aside, inquisitively discussed a number of aspects of Meditation, shown me her notes made on readings and attending some Meditation camps and thus we quickly passed the remaining minutes and she got the address of my LosAngeles's Meditation performances and sitting of the next day with a view to attend the same.
While the plane was going down for landing, I just inquired of her before departing "it seems, you should be a writer or a teacher being so much interested in Spirituality'.
"No, no, I am not that Great", and to my surprise she added, "I am going for shooting in a movie at Los Angeles, I am just a Dancer, an Actress-", I was very much astonished, "oh is it so! Then it is much more significant and really great to have such a deep interest in spirituality and Meditation".I admired.