Self Awareness Through Meditation

Author(s): Ranjitsingh Kumat
Publisher: Ranjitsingh Kumat

Page 55

SELF AWARENESS THROUGH MEDITATION
from desires, sensual gratification, passion etc. Attachment with desire is the main cause of suffering, of the chain of birth and death and to end this chain and suffering one has to get rid of attachment with desires. Giving up food and drink in the last moment, called Santhara' in common parlance, cannot be called “Sanlekhana’ unless it is accompanied by observance of one's thoughts and desires with equanimity. Unless one has practiced the same for sufficiently long period, it is not possible to do 'Sanlekhana' in the last few minutes of life.
From another angle, Sanlekhana can be called as 'observance of death with equanimity'. Death is the greatest fear of life and to overcome that fear is real emancipation. To observe what you are afraid of leads to freedom from that fear. After all what is death? Why are we afraid of it? This body is made of certain particles and atoms which keep on changing. In that sense our body is changing every minute and it is not the same what it was at birth. If it is dying and changing every minute, why should one be afraid of final death? If we are aware and alive to changes in our body that is taking place every minute then final act of death is a mere ordinary event and to fear it is foolishness.
This is a brief statement of main practices of Jain religion. To know more about it, one should study them separately and follow instructions of the learned ascetics.