Journey to Enlightenment Part 01

Author(s): Chitrabhanu, Chetana Catherine Florida, Nirmala Hanke, Raksha Penni Helsene
Publisher: Create Space

Page 140

Biography
Gurudev Shree Chitrabhanuji
In 1970 Gurudev Shree Chitrabhanu became the first Jain Master in 2,500 years to leave India and come to the West. The Jaina philosophy is one of India's most ancient schools of thought. For the many Jains in both East and West who have benefited from the teaching, it is an eternal philosophy of Ahimsa (non-violence) and Reverence for all life.
"Jain”, Gurudev explains, “is not a religion or an identity, but has its roots in the Sanskrit verb 'Ji', meaning 'to conquer'.” This conquest is very much the result of a personal spiritual struggle against our enemies of anger, jealousy, ego, and greed.
A “Jina" is one of those enlightened beings who has conquered these inner enemies and thus has seen through the negative clouds which obstruct our natural state of enlightenment.
In the West, Gurudev has spoken at many colleges and universities including Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Cornell and has worked with many church groups, drug addiction centers and international-minded groups. He was the first to address the United Nations on Ahimsa and has served as founder-president of World Fellowship of Religions in America. He has many books in print in India and in the West. They include: Meditatations on the Seven Energy Centers, The Psychology of Enlightenment, The Dynamics of Jain Meditation, and the Twelve Facets of Reality.
Jain temples all over the world regard Gurudev as their spiritual advisor. He is the founder of the Jain Meditation International Center in New York City, and he gives weekly talks in Manhattan. He is also the spiritual advisor to the Lighthouse Center, Inc. in Whitmore Lake, Michigan.
On the Wings of Light and Love - 141