________________
SHREE CHITRABHANU
universe. And the third is right character. There is harmony between your behavior and your belief, an integration of that. If we have, or take, these three steps in our life we will be able to make our life very meaningful. At the same time, it will be joyful. We will celebrate that, yes, I have made my life very meaningful. Now my time has come: goodbye. Whatever is left out, undone, I will resume when I am reborn. You have a belief in your rebirth, and in your immortality. You don't see yourself as a failure. You have read the Song of Life, which was written by Longfellow. He says: "Life is real, life is earnest. And the grave is not the goal." It is the goal for the body--not for the soul.
L.M.: So we could say love is that goal. Love is that gospel. It is the goal of the meditation that one practices, and the service one renders. All of those things should be done with an attitude of reverence, a love for life. That brings us there.
S.C.: With meditation, first you relax. Then you calm down. You clean your slate and take out the mental cobwebs. And then you ask: Who am I, who am I? You say well, I am me, I am myself. But before the name, who was I? I was energy. Actually, I am indestructible energy. And when you get that glimpse, you stay with it. I must use this energy which takes me toward goodness, takes me toward reverence.
Whatever I do, my doing should be done with reverence. I eat, drink, talk, and meet others. There is no need to collect hate. If other people are not good, let them be bad then. You allow them to be in their place. And respect yourself. So that you don't take that negativity home with you. Or else, then you become a victim of their bad influence.
L.M.: You are an actor, not a reactor, in life.
S.C.: Yes, an actor. I call it a witness. You are witnessing. You go to a movie and watch all kinds of dramas. But you are sitting there—you witness. So, let it go. And whatsoever you like, you take that home. You think: Oh, that was the good part in the movie.
135
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
