Shantidoot Amrender Muniji

Author(s): Padmini Atal
Publisher: Universal Ahimsa Foundation

Page 18

Running away from home
Amar was miserable at home. He thought of Gurudev every moment of the day. He felt very restless and kept thinking of ways to run back to him. Finally, that is exactly what he did - he ran away from home, back to the monks in Kandla.
As luck would have it he reached just as they were preparing to leave for a new place.
Jain monks have a tradition of wandering from place to place on foot for 8 months of the year. It is only during the 4 months of the rainy season called Chaturmas, that they stay in one place to avoid stepping on insects and worms that come out during the rains. This is central to their concept of Ahinsa or non violence.
Amar reached at the end of Chaturmas. When he arrived an initiation ceremony was in progress. A young man called Jagannath was being initiated into Jain monkhood with the title of Santosh Muni. Amar suddenly felt a desperate longing to be initiated too.
He went up to Gurudev and requested him for initiation.
Gurudev replied in a grave tone that Jain monks did not initiate boys without the permission of their parents. He then told his group of monks that since Chaturmas was over, they would proceed to Samli, a small town 15 miles away from Kandla.
The group got ready to proceed on foot. Gurudev, having concern for Amar's tender years told him kindly that he could come by car. Amar insisted that he would also walk along with his Guru. And so it came to pass. The time seemed to fly between Kandla and Samli because he was in the divine company of his Gurudev.
shantidoot | messenger of peace
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