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Jain Education International
ur story begins on Sharad Purnima night in 1962. Rajgir and its surroundings were enveloped in the dazzling light of the moon. Visible on the summit of the Vaibhargiri Hills, and magnificent as the Himalayas, sat the motionless figure of a sage deep in meditation. Nothing disturbed him - dust storms or cloudbursts, heat or cold. At one with the birds and beasts of the forests, his gaze remained fixed upon the piece of land that once had seen Tirthankar Mahavir's samavasarana. Images from the past unfolded on his inner eye and waves of joy engulfed him as he was taken back in time to the glories of Magadh. Then the present intruded, and as Bihar's troubled horizons came back into focus, the mighty sage bowed his head in shame.
The conflict between the past and the present caused the great sage unbearable pain. One question haunted him: Who was responsible for the failure to observe Tirthankar Mahavir's teachings in this the land of his origin? He pondered the question over and over again, and then like spring water bursting forth in a clear stream, the answer came to him. He had a vision of seeing the miracle of Mahavir's compassion reawakened in the hearts of mankind. He was convinced that if we were his successors, the work of spreading Tirthankar Mahavir's teachings was the responsibility of us all. It was up to us to take his message of love, compassion, and non-violence to the four corners of the universe.
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The Jains through Time
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