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Why cannot the third son be the hero and say 'Ma, I Anekantvad then to me means Forgiveness. don't want anything, since anyway I am single, just give away all.'
So what is my point?
In this above glimpse of 'Ghar Ghar ki Kahani', we can see that all of us live between idealism, pragmaticness and our own desires, sanskars and karmic debts.We see the world only through our eyes and our expectations and never from anyone else. Idealistically we would want to give the world to our husbands, sons, parents, friends, loved ones and yet realistically when it comes to it we might be unable to give that one pair of earrings which a sister in law has also been coveting for.
As I experienced life and people, I saw that this concept of Anekantvad was only possible to experience when we were not directly involved, when we were these outsiders of human dramas unfolding, when we were not in the battlefield, but were mere
observers.
In the above story I saw myself being judgmental and taking sides as to why was the mother in law being weak, and why the daughters in law so needy and the sons greedy and all inherantly wonderful people. so even though I saw all the points of view, I was still not calm enough to be non judgmental and see the point of views as they existed from each person's perspective. Each of them had their perspective and no one was right or wrong. Each one has their layer of past karma and sanskars blended with the factors of this birth and were seeing and reacting due to it.
So for me Anekantvad in its broadest meaning means many things -- To begin with -- Acceptance. Acceptance of duality. Acceptance of people, events, situations, things, religions, code of conducts, as they are without the layer of good or bad or right or wrong. Acceptance first of Karmic debts. Acceptance then that Nothing in this world is absolute and only -- there are different perspectives and one has to be able to respect the others perspective; even if you are unable
to understand or relate to it at times.
How Liberating would it feel when we in our core belief system really believe that NO ONE or nothing else is to blame that it's just a matter of each one's individual perspective.
How beautiful is this concept. The fundamental core of Jainism is Ahimsa - non violence. When we are able to see the other's perspective for what it is and not what it is in comparison to our perspective. Comparison leads to conflict and acceptance leads to
co-existence.
પ્રબુદ્ધ સંપ્રદા
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Forgiveness that naturally stems from Acceptance, that is a natural by product of Acceptance. Forgiveness first of the self because birth itself means that it accumulated the karma in previous lives and still hung on to the illusion that happiness can be from the outside and forgiveness thus then of all others whom you have thought could give you pleasure or pain because they can't.
Anekantvad thus also means Non Judgement. Non Judgement because there is nothing like 'bad'
or 'evil' to judge -- within another or self.' Not judging anything as 'bad' implies also not judging anything as 'good'! also. Because when you judge something as good it instantly also implies existence of a bad. It's just that our negative judgment is only hidden.
How can we sit in the chair of a judge? Our knowledge and perspective is so limited that we are unable to even sit in the chair of another person -- to slip in his shoes and see his point.
Non-judgment propels us into that state called bliss - which is not that state which is 'good and joyous' but a state that is beyond the opposites of duality... beyond good or bad... beyond painful or pleasurable... into the neutrality of all is as it is. Anekantvad then to me means Surrender. Surrender not of resignation and giving up but of
arms
outstretched, head held high to any and all situations embracing it with the firm belief that 'I have created
this and have within me the ability to go through it.' Stop looking at situations as perpetrated by others against you to hurt you or cause you misery karma which is coming back to you. What utter
but to see them as an echo of your own previous
power.
Thus... Anekantvad to me is the easiest tool towards Liberation. Because in its laws, it embraces all, it gives us the technique to see people as they are in their pure self rather than what our mind projects us to see. In its core, it enables contradictions to coexist, unity to exist.
And yet as I sit here, attached to the body, to the people and things and see them as me or mine, I know I am a long way off.
Let us all help ourselves and others by simply attempting for five minutes after reading this to simply see, feel all around you as perfect because Anekantvad in its ultimate sense is that 'It is all perfect! All fair and all just as it is meant to be.' ★
