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EDITORIAL
Should there not be some unfailing remedy for those who are sincerely trying to move forward in the path of liberation? There must be some remedy to successfully remove all kashay (internal anger, pride, greed, attachment and abhorrence) that hinder and harass people every moment of their lives. How is one to remove the gross and subtle conflict in one's life? How do we prevent ourselves from being hurt or hurting others? How can we shelter ourselves from the kashays that bombard us and stop them from recurring?
Many of us have faithfully adhered to religious rituals. We have surrendered ourselves to strict penance, fasting, meditation and other such austerities, only to discover that we still make mistakes with our minds, our speech and our conduct. Why have we not found internal peace? What should we do when we realize our faults and how should we get rid of them? There should be some method through which we can eliminate kashays from our lives, progress spiritually toward liberation and live happily with peace and love. What spiritual knowledge have the Vitarag Lords (the supreme enlightened beings) bestowed upon the world? What is true religion? Is there an assured way that one can be absolved for the sins one commits? And if there is such a method, why is it not evident?
One can attain a wealth of knowledge from scriptures, but why can one not incorporate this into one's daily life. Ascetics and spiritual teachers continue to preach, but where do they fall short in getting the desired results? Practically every religion mandates astringent rituals and austerities and yet why does the aspirant not achieve any results? Why do his kashays not decrease or his sins erased? Does not the liability for all this fall upon the heads of religion? This statement is not made with any intent of
malice but with compassion. There should be some way to eliminate our problems. What have the Gnanis and the Tirthankars said about one's progress from the state of ignorance to the attainment of Absolute Knowledge? How can we be liberated from the bondage of our past karmas and the bondage created through our inherent attachment and abhorrence?
It is said that the path of liberation is for the brave and not for cowards, but where must this valor be used to expedite liberation? Is it possible for a person with a lot of bad karmas to acquire good karmas?
How can you quell the fires of suffering that torment you throughout your life? How can a man cope with a domineering wife, difficult children and his financial worries that overshadow his peace day and night?
How can one recover from incessant kashays that exist between a Guru and a disciple? When a person expends his mind, speech and body by committing adultery or cheating others out of their wealth, where else but in hell or lower life-forms can he expect to take birth in his next life? And if one has done so, how can one become free? How can one remain cautious so as not fall prey to such acts? What are the answers to such questions that have agonized people for time immemorial?
Every human makes mistakes against his will. People become trapped in their own mistakes and suffer incessantly because they have an earnest desire to be free from them, find inner happiness and progress toward their liberation.
The Tirthankars and the Gnanis have given this world the only weapon to combat such suffering, and that weapon is the spiritual science of alochana, pratikraman and pratyakhan (alochana-confession of one's mistake; pratikraman-asking
