________________
100
falling into wrong and unworthy company. He must then adopt the truth the moment it is discovered, and worship the true trinity of God, guru and sâstra till he can stand on his own legs, that is to say till he can manage to become absorbed in the contemplation of his own âtman. Neither the fear of public opinion, the sense of ridicule, nor any other personal or private motive should be allowed to stand in the way of adopting the right faith, or to constitute an excuse for a policy of procrastination, which not only delays and retards one's own progress, but also misleads those othersdependents, friends and the like-who naturally follow one's lead in matters pertaining to religion and morality.
THE PRACTICAL PATH.
We come now to the second class of causes which interfere with the steadiness of dhyana. These comprise all those tendencies and traits, including passions and emotions, which have their root in desire. Whenever the mind is engrossed in the pursuit of desire, it displays a tendency to wander away after its objects, thus robbing the soul of serenity and peace and the body of ease and restfulness. The remedy for this kind of disturbance consists in the development of the spirit of renunciation, which will engender the state of desirelessness.
The third type of causes of distraction have reference to the unsteadiness of body, and arise from want of control over the bodily limbs, ill-health, the habit of luxury, i.e., inability to bear hardships, and the like. The observance of rules which directly aim at imparting health and strength to the body, and the
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org