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THE WAY OF LIFE
judgements and decrees passed in various high courts, the preacher of Dharma also must master the scriptures of various Dharmas. It is not enough if he merely studies them, he must have made a critical and comparative study of these scriptures.
The preacher of Jain Dharma must possess a thorough knowledge of all the doctrines of the Jain Dharma. He must have mastered the seven kinds of Naya, the seven types of argument; the Anekantvad, the theory of Dravya-Guna-Paryaya, the nine doctrines, the fourteen Gunasthanaks, the eight views of yoga, the method of Japa; the method of meditation etc. He must have a proper knowledge of the breaches and exceptions. He must also have a knowledge of the Nischaya naya and the Vyavahar naya. He can interpret the words of the Jin properly and effectively only if he has a knowledge of all these things. If he does not possess a knowledge of these things, he may give wrong interpretations of the words of the Jin contrary to what is actually implied in them. It is not easy to become a preacher of Dharma.
8. The preacher of Dharma must possess the capacity to give a comprehensive and detailed exposition and description of the subject or the incident which he deals with in his discourse. Besides possessing, a rich vocabulary, he must also be capable of describing a subject or an event. He must possess the style that is necessary for this purpose. Only then can he move the hearts and minds of his listeners. The congregation must flow with the tide of the preacher's discussion and exposition. The congregation must become deeply absorbed in the exposition or discussion that is going on. The genius of the speaker must shine forth effectively. If he is dwelling on the sentiment of heroism, the listeners must experience that rasa or sentiment. When he is dwelling on the sentiment of peace, there should appear on the faces of the listeners, that lofty feeling of serenity. If he is narrating a story which contains the sentiment of renunciation, the listeners must also experience in their hearts, the impact of renunciation. When he is dealing with the sentiment of humour, the audience must laugh to their hearts' content.
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