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guide on the path of liberation lighting the dark corners on the way.
substances; by his perception, he acquires the intense purity of his Faith; and by the Force of his Right Conduct, he can break the shackles of Karma. By austerities, he can maintain the serenity of his mind and attain to greater purity. If purity of life is reinforced by Dharma-dhyana, he can go nearer the goal. If you bury your mind within the Soul in you, you would have marched very near your goal of liberation.
Right faith and knowledge will help in the cultivation of self-restraint which is the sheet-anchor for self-conquest. Bhagawana Mahavira advised his disciples : *Subduey our Self, for the Self is difficult to subdue; if your Self is subdued, you will be happy in this world and in the next. Better it is that I should subdue my Self by self-control and penance than be subdued by others with fetters and corporal punishment.' (Uttara. I. 15, 16). He who wants to be a better man spiritually, must heed this advice and follow it in letter and spirit. We should remember that unless the ash is cleared, the bright fire within, cannot be visible and cannot give light. So also, unless we purify our thoughts and actions by self control we can never see the nature of the Self. We will ever continue to grope in the dark for light without the lamp.
In fine, Jainism offers a practical solution to miseries of life. Right Conduct is the stepping stone to salvation. Attain purity of mind by subduing your passions; by purity of mind, you can acquire purity of soul. It is by attaining the purity of soul that the Atman can become the Paramatman. Be free from external and internal attachments and you will see the light of liberation. You cannot acquire purity without truth and Ahimsa. You cannot get the benefit of your religion, unless you have purity within you. Without realizing the core of the religion, you cannot reach the goal. Without liberation, there cannot be eternal bliss.
The veils of Karmas make us blind to the light of infinite perception, knowledge, bliss and power which are the emiable attributes of our own Self. The veils must be destroyed by Right understanding backed up by unstinted faith. It is the passions that bind us with fresh Karmas. He who has subdued the passions will find light from his own Soul. A blurred mirror can show only a dim image; so also, a person who has become a slave to his passions like anger, hatred, attachment etc caunot experience the joy of his own Soul. By Knowledge, the Self understands the principles of Jiva and the nature of
It is given to everyone to be in constant search. For the avrage individual. the message of Bhagavan Mahavira is that one should create an awareness in oneself that Knowledge of the Atman is bliss and white ignorance only involves one into interminable transmigrations. No one is high by birth; our virtues raise us high while our vices reduce us to lower state of existence. Whether to use our
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