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SHREE CHITRABHANU
S.C.: No, it is not. Abraham Lincoln is said to have remarked, “I have destroyed all my enemies by making them friends."
L.M.: Gandhi believed that too.
S.C.: Yes, that is the way. So what Mahavira did is, he removed and destroyed those weaknesses. The main ones are called kashiya—which is a group of four enemies, or weaknesses. One is anger; another is greed; the third one is the ego; and the fourth is deceit.
When you don't get what you want, you feel frustrated, and out of frustration anger comes. So first, one has to find out: Why am I creating expectation? Why do I not lead a simple life? To make a simple life for myself, I have to remove anger. How to remove anger? By being simple and peaceful. With peace and simplicity, you conquer anger. You make friends with peace and simplicity. Your life is simple. That is why a Jain monk won't wear ornaments and crowns and such. It is a very simple life. A saint is simple. So anger is removed.
Then comes greed. Greed is, we want everything. People's closets are full. But still they go to shopping centers; they want to buy more. There is no room in the closet now, but still they want to stuff it with more things.
L.M.: They probably never even wear any longer the things they already have.
S.C.: That is why even millionaires are unhappy. They don't have time to live life. There is no room for them. The room in our consciousness is cluttered with greed, with things. We are stuffing everything.
So meditation makes room. You must have room for yourself. Now you are cluttering yourself. When will you relax there in yourself? There is no room, you have bought up everything. The second is, again simplicity comes, contentment.
L.M.: Through meditation?
S.C.: Yes, you have to meditate on that-meditate on contentment. I am happy--the philosophy, or guiding principle, is that you become happy with whatever you get. And at the same time, you like to do what is
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