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The Path of Arhat : A Religious Democracy
par puparapi jananai, Punarapi janani jathare Sayanad. This endless wandering from one life to the other must have some purpose. Can there be an end to it? Surely it cannot be the scheme of Nature that this Ātman should go on end lessly to experience pleasures and pains, hopes and despairs during life after life without any purpose. And if there is any purpose I must find it out. It is found that I have not gained anything by repeating this endless cycle of birth and rebirth, life and death and all the ups and downs, tensions and turmoils of aimlessly moving in this samsāra. What can I do to avoid it ? A mind of a Sadhaka constantly occupied with this type of perception finally leads him to a state of Nirgrantha ( Granthi ) where every knot of bondage is dissolved.
(6, 7, 8 ) Asrava-Sanvara-Nirjara Bhavana - The concepts of Asrava, Sarnvara and Nirjarā have been discussed in earlier chapters. These Bhavanas are to remind us how the inflow of karmas — good as well as bad – result in bondage and how by the process of Samvara and Nirjara the inflow of new karmas can be stopped and the accumulated karmas can be destroyed.
( 9 ) Aśuci Bhavana - Every man is most deeply attached to his body. In fact all pleasures and pains are of our body. Our attachment to our family and our worldly possessions is in the ultimate analysis the attachment to our body. But what is this body? When the self withdraws from the body what is its condition ? Even when the self does not withdraw what this body consists of ? How various diseases arise in our body ? Why it gradually decays ? If we give deeper thought to all these questions we find two important aspects of our body :
(a) Without the existence of the spirit ( soul ) within it, it is nothing but a conglomeration of dirt and diseases.
(b) Even with the existence of spirit within, it is constantly under the process of decay and deterioration.
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