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Mahaveer said, “Don't just go to your power within.” Ask yourself: "Who am I and what is my power? How do I see myself? Why did I not choose the right things? Do I allow others to tell me what I can and cannot do?” Remind yourself that others are only projecting themselves onto you. What they say does not reflect you; it reflects on them. If they deny certain things, they are not denying you; they are denying themselves. Their statements do not apply to you.
A couple of years ago several students from the United States came to India with us, and visited Shatrunjaya in Palitana. In this group there were two people who were trying to come to terms with their guilt. They were not happy with the past and had been going to various types of therapy for many, many years. I had known both of them for a long time and now they traveled all the way to India to have some special time to study for self-awareness, for selfrealization. They visited the mountains and caves where many people became enlightened. We climbed Mount Shatrunjaya, where a cluster of temples adorns the top of a holy mountain. On top of the highest of the temples, we had a special ceremonial meditation to let go of the past, to let go of the mind.
Anyone who wants to free oneself from wrong belief, guilt and sin is free to choose the Jain method of saying this mantra: Savva Pava Panasano, which vibrates to liberate. Here savva means all; pava means guilt and negativity; and panasano means destroyed. All guilt and sins of the past are destroyed. The next part of the mantra is: mangalanam cha savvesim. From that moment, mangalanam benedictions and blessings start pouring on us from all directions. This is the greatest among all benedictions, all blessings. In this way one goes deep into oneself. Deep into the source, one creates a fine insight and incinerates all the negativities. One accepts oneself as gold, purified of all dross.
Of the two people, I mentioned before, one came up from the mantra meditation and said with joy. "I am free! Free from the burden of the load of past negativities.” What she had not been able to do in twenty years happened spontaneously in that moment. Collecting all the junk of the past, collecting all guilt of the past, she incinerated them, cleansed herself of them, and forgave herself. She did not need to go anywhere to be forgiven, to be saved. She said, “I burned the negativity and threw the ashes away, and I came back to my clean self.” It was true for her because she believed it to be possible. Her belief became her reality, a fact for her.
On the Wings of Light and Love - Volume Two - 49
