Training in Nonviolence

Author(s): Mahapragna Acharya
Publisher: Anuvrat Global Organization

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12 Training for the Transformation of the Heart
Concept
Two persons were going somewhere. They came upon a river on the way. It was overflowing with water. One of them remained standing on the bank while the other jumped into the water, swam and reached the other bank. Why does it so happen? Crossing a river is a problem. One of the persons couldn't solve this problem while the other could and was able to cross the river and reach the other bank. It reveals that the problem was not very difficult. One who knew how to swim was able to reach the other bank. One who didn't know swimming remained standing on this side of the river. The question that comes to the fore is that of training.
Many problems crop up in our life. Sometimes they are more difficult than the crossing of a river. It is easy to cross a river but to solve the problems that beset our life is extremely difficult. Only a trained person will be able to find a way out of them. He whose heart and mind are not transformed remains stuck at the bank of the river. He cannot cross the river. Training plays an important role in man's life. An untrained person may not be able to accomplish a task, which a trained person can do in no time. Nothing is possible without training - be they acting, performing arts, professions and jobs. Without it even threading a needle becomes difficult. Everyone cannot thread a needle. In the absence of training even a small thing may create a problem. If a person who doesn't know how to cook is entrusted with the responsibility of cooking it is certain that he will spoil the meal.
Not only men but also elephants, horses, monkeys and dogs are trained for specific purposes. When a man watches their feats he is astonished. There is no denying the fact that training has become indispensable in all walks of human life. If someone turns a religious person but doesn't undergo training, it is a matter of great surprise. Just as a person has a right to become a minister without training, similarly it appears that one has a right to be a religious person without any training. An untrained religious person neither does good to dharma nor to himself.
We are having a discussion on a change of heart but how will the human heart change without training? It needs a very rigorous training. In the absence of
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