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When we experience this deep reverence for life, we realize life is worth living. With all its turmoil,all its demand, all its problem, all its frustration, life is worth living. We are here to experience that feeling of reverence for life and if we can have a few glimpses, a few moments of that, we have experienced life. What we call enlightenment is nothing but that experience. You are enlightening that area which was obscured or darkened. You realize life. That is the climax of living and our work is to experience that moment. It is like preparing a dinner. It takes four hours to prepare, and in 30 minutes we enjoy it and it is gone. So we are preparing for that moment. We may prepare with fasting or meditation, or in silence or service or prayer, or it may be through education. All education must lead to that experience.
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The Law of Karma
Thus the first principle is reverence for life. But Mahavira saw that there is another obstacle in life. That which is called self is like a flame burning brightly. But the glass which surrounds the flame becomes dirty and so we don't see the brightness of the flame. The light is there but the chimney is covered with the particles of dirt and soot. If we wipe out the chimney we can again see the flame. In the same way, Mahavira saw that karmas come in our way. Karmas are the particles attracted by our greed, anger,
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