________________
1781
Monks 'Dilemma
your selfish ends and to make people live in an imaginary world by indoctrinating them to be obsessed by your dictates and unrealistic promises that the rituals and devotion to the deity prescribed will solve all the problems. But it never happened and the people made inert and despondent, kept engaged in reciting paeans of praise of deities and not making adequate and commensurate efforts to meet the challenges and suffer the failures. India lost battles repeatedly and was enslaved disgracefully only because of inaction (Akarma) and not matching action (Karma). No deity ever came to rescue. We kept on worshiping inanimate idols requesting them to come and help and continued suffering defeat after defeat, whereas the iconoclasts kept on winning. You want to leave. We will not force you to stay. But kindly just keep in mind the promise I am making for all present here that if at any point of time you feel repentant about your parasitic life style you are welcome to join our 'Deepshree Rehabilitation Trust at Jhadol. We shall provide you all necessary amenities of life and work to earn your living gracefully."
Monks' Dilemma
| 179 to follow their ideals should be the objective of Bhakti. It is a fact that the institutions of monks, priests etc. have been misleading gullible people for their selfish ends. I am really ashamed of my parasitic life and announce here and now that I shall join the active life style as promised by Deepti."
Deepti jumped from her seat, clapped and clapped with joy and many others joining her in the chorus, thanking and applauding Ramdas for his bold announcement. Deepti said, "I assure Mahant Ramdas that life style envisaged in our project will be austere, non-consumerist and close to nature. However we shall continuously try to avail themselves of the benefits of scientific and technological developments. We are also not averse to development but it should be sustainable which is possible only if natural resources are used within their respective carrying capacities and rejuvenating time cycles.
Shree announced lunch break with the request to reassemble at 3.p.m.
Shree requested Mahant Ramdas to speak next.
Mahant Ramdas, "We should try to evolve a moderate, middle path, a balanced synthesis of old and new. All that is old is not bad and all that is new is not sterling truth and good. The modern consumerist life style is also already manifesting its impending dangers. The green house effect and climate change are its serious repercussions. I have no hesitation in admitting that the prevailing old notion of devotion (Bhakti) and ignoring appropriate action in the false hope that the deity will come and do our work has done immense harm. The deities we worship did everything themselves and even fought battles. Worshipping them to imbibe their spirit of action and
The second session started with thinner attendance as eighteen participants left after lunch. Shree invited Shreyans muni as the first speaker of the session.
Shreyans muni, "I got into monkhood at the tender age of eleven. Born in a middle class family in a small town I was brought up in a religious environment and listened to the discourses of the monks with my parents. The monks generally eulogised the institution of monks and denigrated that of house holders, asserting that monks are reborn in higher life forms as human beings or in heaven and are never reborn in inferior life forms and in hell and that their salvation is assured within fifteen rebirths. As a child also I enjoyed marriage festivities in marriages and other functions and wished to be
