________________
The Psychology of Enlightenment
turn to the same state from which they started. They are like boats moored to the shore. A breeze may twist and turn them, but you know they are not going anywhere. They are weighted down. People who have not loosed themselves from their resentments cannot enjoy progress. No matter where they go, they always come back to the same place.
It is a common belief that finding love is a matter of luck; but, I tell you, it is rather a question of tying and untying. The moment we untie ourselves from our resentments, we are able to allow love to blossom. Those whose hearts are free of animosity will not lack friends. They may not always find lovers, but they will surely enjoy loving friendship. The West has a tendency to confuse lust with love. People tend to hide their lust under the guise of love, but this is a distortion. Real love has nothing to do with lust; it is an understanding and communication between people which overcomes any apparent boundaries of age or background.
When I was a child of four and five years old, my good friend was an old man of sixty-five. I could bring all my problems to him and he would always give me a right, honest answer. One day when I was four years old, my mother died. I couldn't understand where she had gone and why she hadn't returned, so I went to this old man and asked him where she was. It was evening and he pointed out the moon and the stars to me. "Your mother has gone to heaven where she can enjoy all those beautiful stars!” he said.
This old man gave me a new understanding. Everyone
[ 50 ]
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
