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The Jains through Time
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On this earth man is the centre of and the soul reveals its pure knowledge. But knowledge and action. When he moves in the normal course of events, our actions forward on the path of knowledge, he can should never remain unguided by attain unparalleled heights. The soul that knowledge. Actions without knowledge can takes this journey enlightens itself and be dangerous. It is like putting a gun or a shows the way to thousands of other souls. stick in the hands of a blind man. He could What use is enlightenment that does not use it to protect himself or it could be used enlighten others? What use is a lamp or even to kill somebody. In fact both deeds and a sun that does not illuminate others? The knowledge in the right balance are needed sun is full of light and the splendour of its for life. rays lights up everything it touches.
If you walk with your eyes open, you can We can only feel the light of the sun when walk steadily and reach your destination we are in its presence, whereas the light of easily, but if you shut your eyes and then try knowledge once kindled can continue to to walk you might trip and fall. So whilst enlighten other souls for thousands of years. walking, it is important to keep your eyes Action alone, however, remains limited. It open. Similarly, in our spiritual life and can only inspire others at the time of its workaday world, we must have the same doing and in the presence of the doer, but if eye-limb co-ordination, we must have the actions are supported by knowledge, they right combination of knowledge and action become powerful and influential. Though in everything we do. Only then can we the realm of knowledge is autonomous, create the extraordinary in our lives. knowledge can't remain without karma. However, a person who attains final The realm of our knowledge has still to be knowledge is not required to take any developed. We are not yet perfect and so the action as his final aim has already been possibility of error arises. This incomplete achieved. This is when liberation is attained knowledge can be dangerous. People who
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