Miracle is You

Author(s): Chitrabhanu
Publisher: Jain Meditation International Centre

Page 9

son completely transform his or her life."
At the age of 20, he became a Jain monk not for spiritual gains or to prove himself to anyone, but because he longed to understand the meaning of life. His guru told him: "Books and other people's answers will not be enough to enlighten you. You have to dive into yourself and experience." Gurudev's 29 years as a monk were spent meditating and bringing the universal message of compassion and reverence for all living beings to people of varying faiths. To him, "Jain" is not a religion or an identity; it is rooted in the Sanskrit verb "ji" meaning "to conquer." Those souls who have appeared in all nations, in different eras, from all traditions, who have overcome their "inner enemies" are revered. Through them, we are inspired to conquer our partial self in order to become unfragmented, to master the demands of our ego in order to experience selflessness.
Gurudev founded many social welfare organizations which send volunteers and supplies to areas suffering from natural disasters and which distribute food, clothing, blankets, and medicines to the poor and needy throughout India. "Salvation," according to Gurudev, "comes when you forget about your own salvation and help others with loving compassion to alleviate them from their suffering and misery.
When asked about relativity in thinking and nonviolence, he explains, "If you become dogmatic about your own thought without respecting others, violence is built in yourself. To be mentally, morally, and