Mahavira taught that pursuit of
pleasure is an endless game, so we should train our minds to curb individual
cravings and passions. That way one does achieve equanimity of mind, mental
poise and spiritual balance. One should voluntarily limit acquisition of
property as a community virtue which results in social justice and fair
distribution of utility commodities. The strong and the rich should not try
to suppress the weak and the poor by acquiring limitless property which
results in unfair distribution of wealth in society and hence poverty..
At the age of 72 (527 B.C.), Lord
Mahavir attained nirvana and his pure soul left his body and achieved
complete liberation. He became a Siddha, a, a liberated soul, having achieved
absolute consciousness, and living forever in a state of complete bliss.
It is important to
however note that Jainism existed even before Mahavir, and his teachings were
based on those of his predecessors. Thus, unlike Buddha, Mahavir was more of
a reformer and propagator of an existing religious order than the founder of
a new faith. He followed the well-established creed of his predecessor,
Tirthankar Parshvanath. However, Mahavir did re-organize the philosophical
tenets of Jainism to correspond to his times.
Religion is not so easy to
understand and one feels dry if is not interspersed with anecdotes, stories,
limericks, jokes, humor etc This will
bring aliveness into the matter and so is this effort …
[Go through this beautiful story about Lord
Mahavir and his meeting with
King Prasenjit. This says Meditation
cannot be given but has to be acquired.
Lord Mahavir and Prasenjit
This story depicts a famous incident from the
life of Lord Mahavir. At that time, Lord Mahavir attained spiritual
perfection and his fame had spread far and wide. Men and women of various
social standing came to this wise man to become his disciple or to merely
have a glimpse of him and bless themselves with his sight.
One day, a famous king named
Prasenjit came to meet Lord Mahavir. As the monarch approached Mahavir with
his many attendants, he was surprised at the extraordinarily tranquil
expression of the blessed man and marvelled at the bright glow that seemed to
emanate from his body. He sat on the ground before the lord.
After paying his obeisance to Lord Mahavir,
King Prasenjit told about the reason of his visit. He told the great man,
"Sir, I have everything that one wishes
to acquire in this world. Riches, love and respect of my subjects, a loving family,
great renown, a kingdom spreading far and wide, physical strength and beauty
- I have it all and I am deeply contented. I have nothing more to achieve and
no greater ambition. And yet I felt myself incomplete when I heard about you.
I hear that you have attained perfection in 'samadhi' (meditation). Can I acquire it
too? I am prepared to buy it at any cost. It will be another addition to my
treasury."
Hearing the words of Prasenjit, Mahavir smiled
a little. He looked assuringly at the monarch and said, "If you want to
achieve 'samadhi', look no further than the precincts of your own capital
where there resides a very poor man. He has attained 'samadhi' and being so
poor, he may like to sell it to you. He may help you more than myself."
Prasenjit bowed to Mahavir and imediately
returned to his capital, looking for the man he was told about. It did not
take him long to locate the dilapidated hut of the man. Once there, the king
called for the man. As he came out, Prasenjit ordered his attendants to
unload the gold coins, diamonds, emeralds
and other expensive gifts from the many bullock carts he was accompanied with
and stacked them before the house of the poor man.
"Take all these." the king said to
the poor man, "Ask if you need more, and I will shower with more riches.
But please give me that thing called 'samadhi'."
The poor man hesitated for a moment and said,
"That is not possible sir."
Amazed, the king asked him "Why
so?".
The poor man replied, "Sir, meditation is
a state of mind that is earned through constant spiritual practice. All the
riches of the world cannot buy it. Tell me, can you buy love? Can you
purchase affection? I love you, respect you; I am ready to give my life for
you. But how can you give you my own feelings?"
The king understood that the bargain was not
possible. Meditation or 'samadhi' is not something tangible. It is a mental
state that is higher than all human feelings and worldly riches.
King Prasenjit went back to Lord Mahavir and
became the latter's disciple from that day]
Mahavira’s Quotes
The greatest mistake of a soul
is non-recognition of its real self and can only be corrected by recognizing
the self
Every
soul is independent, none depends on another.
It
is better to win over the self than to win over a million enemies.
There
is no separate existence of God. Everybody can attain god-hood by making
supreme efforts in the right direction.
Every soul is in itself absolutely omniscient and
blissful. The bliss does not come from outside.
The
soul comes alone and goes alone, no one companies it and no one becomes its
mate.
Only
that science is a great and the best of all sciences, the study of which
frees man from all kinds of miseries.
That
which subdues passions, leads to beatitude and fosters friendliness is called
knowledge in the Jaina doctrine.
Righteousness
consists in complete self-absorption and in giving up all kinds of passions
including attachment. It is the only means of transcending the mundane
existence. The Jinas have said so.Don't kill any living beings. Don't try to
rule them.
The
essence of all knowledge consists in not committing violence. The doctrine of
ahimsa is nothing but the observance of equality i.e. the realization that
just as I do not like misery, others also do not like it. Knowing this, one
should not kill anybody.
Just
as you do not like misery, in the same way others also do not like it.
Knowing this, you should do unto them what you want them to do unto you.
To
kill any living being amounts to killing one self. Compassion to others is
compassion to one's own self. Therefore one should avoid violence like poison
and thorn (that cause pain).
Don't
be proud if you gain. Nor be sorry if you lose.
One
who cultivates an attitude of equality towards all living beings, mobile and
stationary, can attain equanimity.
Let me treat all living beings with
equanimity and none with enmity. Let me attain samadhi (tranquillity) by
becoming free from expectations.
Let
me renounce the bondage of attachment and hatred, pride and meekness,
curiosity, fear, sorrow, indulgence and abhorrence (in order to accomplish
equanimity).
Let
me give up attachment through unattachment. My soul will be my only support
(in this practice of unattachment). (Hence) let me give up everything else.
One
who remains equanimously in the midst of pleasures and pains is a sramana ,
being in the state of pure consciousness.
[ There are not many stories about
Mahavir like Buddha and others as such
listen to a very beautiful story by OSHO. You will enjoy much. A break is
very often needed bring back the attention of the reader, ….
Sugar And Salt Makes The Taste - by Osho
I
have heard an ancient parable — must be very ancient because God used to live
on the earth in those days. Slowly slowly, he became very tired of man,
because people would torture him continuously. In the middle of the night,
somebody would knock and say, “Why have you done this? Why not do it this
way?” Everybody was advising; everybody was praying and their prayers were
contradictory. A man would come and would say, “Today let there be sun,
because I am going to wash my clothes.” And somebody else would come and he
would say, “Today let there be rain, because I am going to plant trees.” Now
what to do? They were driving God mad!
He
had to disappear from the earth. He had to escape just to survive. He had to
become invisible.
One
day a man came, a farmer, an old farmer, and he said, “Look, you may be God,
and you may have created the world, but one thing I must say to you: you are
not a farmer, and you don’t know even the ABC of farming. And your whole
nature and the functioning of your nature is so absurd, and this I say out of
my whole life’s experience. You have to learn something.”
God
said, “What’s your advice?”
The
farmer said, “You give me one year’s time, and just let things be according
to me, and see what happens. There will be no poverty left!”
God
was willing and one year was given to the farmer. Now it was according to his
will that everything was happening. Naturally, he asked the best, he thought
only of the best — no thunder, no strong winds, no dangers for the crop.
Everything comfortable, cozy, and he was very happy. The wheat was growing so
high! No dangers were there, no hindrances were there; everything was moving
according to HIS desire. When he wanted sun, there was sun; when he wanted
rain, there was rain, and AS much as he wanted. In the old days, sometimes it
rained too much, and the rivers would be flooded, and the crops would be
destroyed; and sometimes it would not rain enough and the land would remain
dry, and the crops would die… and sometimes something else, and sometimes something
else. It was rare, very rare, that things were right. But this year
everything was put right, mathematically right.
The
wheat was growing so high that the farmer was very happy. He used to go to
God and say, “Look! This time the crops will be such that for ten years if
people don’t work there will be enough food.”
But
when the crops were cut, there was no wheat inside. He was surprised — what
happened?! He asked God, “What happened? what went wrong?”
God
said, “Because there was no challenge, because there was no difficulty,
because there was no conflict, no friction, because all was good, you avoided
all that was bad, the wheat remained impotent. A little struggle is a must.
Storms are needed, thunder , lightning is needed. They shake up the soul inside
the wheat.”
This parable is of immense
value. If you are just happy and happy and happy, happiness will lose all
meaning. You will become tired of it. You will be fed up with it. You remain
interested in happiness because there are sad moments too. Those sad moments
keep you interested in happiness. You cannot go on eating only sugar and
sugar and sugar — something salted is a must, otherwise all taste will be
lost]
Vardhamana
Mahavira
According to traditional accounts the doctrines embodied
in Jainism were preached by twenty-fourth Tirthankaras (preparers of the
path) or Saints each of whom preached during his own age. With the exception
of the last two, Parsvanath and Mahavira the remaining twenty-two are all
mythical figures.
Parsvanath taught the fourfold virtue of Satya
(truthfulness), Ahimsa (non-injury), Aparigraha (non-possession) and Asteya
(non-receipt of anything except when it is freely given). Mahavira added one
more to these four vows - Brahmacharya (celibacy). Hence unlike Buddha,
Mahavira was more a reformer than the founder of a new faith.
More of Mahavira Quotes
One can bear all kinds of
unbearable pain caused by spikes in expectation of wealth etc. But he alone
who tolerates without any motive of worldly gain, harsh words spoken to him
is venerable.
As gold does not cease to be
gold even if it is heated in the fire; an enlightened man does not cease to
be enlightened on being tortured by the effect of karma.
An amorous person, failing to
achieve his desired objects, becomes frantic and even ready to commit suicide
by any means.
Keep yourself always awake. One
who keeps awake increases his wisdom. He who falls asleep is wretched.
Blessed is he who keeps awake.
The courageous as well as the
cowardly must die. When death is inevitable for both, why should not one
welcome death smilingly and with fortitude?
There is nothing as fearful as
death, and there is no suffering as great as birth. Be free from the fear of
both birth and death, by doing away with attachment to the body.
Do not be in dread of the
dreadful, the illness, the disease, the old age, and even the death or any
other object of fear.
The enlightened should
contemplate that his soul is endowed with boundless energy.
One who knows the spiritual
(self) knows the external (world) too. He who knows the external world, knows
the self also.
Living beings have desires. Desires consist in
pleasure and pain.
Birth is attended by death,
youth by decay and fortune by misfortune. Thus everything in this world is
momentary.
[ A small story..
Goddess of Wealth and Goddess of Poverty
Once
a beautiful and well-dressed woman visited a house. The master of the house
asked her who she was; and she replied that she was the goddess of wealth.
The master of the house was delighted and so greeted her with open arms.
Soon
after another woman appeared who was ugly looking and poorly dressed. The
master asked who she was and the woman replied that she was the goddess of
poverty. The master was frightened and tried to drive her out of the house,
but the woman refused to depart, saying, 'The goddess of wealth is my sister.
There is an agreement between us that we are never to live apart; if you
chase me out, she is to go with me.' Sure enough, as soon as the ugly
woman went out, the other woman disappeared.
Birth goes with death. Fortune
goes with misfortune. Bad things follow good things. Everyone should realize
this. Foolish people dread misfortune and strive after good fortune, but
those who seek Enlightenment must transcend both of them and be free of
worldly attachment.]
In Search of True Knowledge
When Vardhman Mahaveer was 28, his parents died. Now
he was free to leave the palace, but his brother Nandivardhan asked him not
to leave suddenly and requested to stay with him for some more time. To
respect elder brother Nandivardhan, Vardhman Mahaveer decided to stay with
Nandivardhan until the age of 30. In those two years, Vardhman Mahaveer
practiced self-discipline and practiced almost an ascetic's life.
At the age of 30, he donated all his personal
possessions to needy and poor people and left his home. He wandered on his
bare feet in jungles and strange places. He meditated there, and almost all
the time he spent there he never spoke to anybody. He rarely took food and
fasting was a common thing for him. Some tribal people harassed him for a
long time, but he never reacted.
After 12 years of his search for the truth, Vardhman
Mahaveer became a naked monk. He took his first meal after becoming a monk
from a Slave woman Chandana who was bought by a merchant from the slave
market and persecuted by his wife. Vardhman Mahaveer traveled to the various
parts of northern India, without using any vehicle. These parts included
today's Bihar, Jharkhand, western Bengal, Orissa, and eastern Uttar Pradesh
of India. He taught and preached the way of life that one should adopt. He
announced a silent war against animal sacrifices. All kinds of people,
including kings and queens, rich and poor, men and women were attracted
towards his teachings. Many scholarly Bramhins like Indrabhuti Goutam,
Agnibhuti, Vayubhuti and others joined Vardhman Mahaveer's mission with their
thousands of pupils. Indrabhuti Goutam and others compiled all the teachings
of Vardhman Mahaveer. Shrenik Bimbisar, who was a famous and mighty king of
Rajgrahi also became a disciple of Vardhman Mahaveer. Shrenik asked thousands
of questions about soul, rebirths, meditation, Shraman tradition and history
etc. to Vardhman Mahaveer and got answers from him. These questions and
answers were written down by Indrabhuti Goutam which are preserved till today
in Jain literature.
Teachings
Vardhman
Mahaveer's teachings belonged to the ancient and pre Aryan Shraman tradition.
He did not believe in the creation theory and the mighty God. According to
him no one has created the universe and it is there from infinitive past and
will remain there forever. Only changes will take place. It was almost a
scientific approach of Vardhman Mahaveer. According to his philosophy anybody
can become a God by destroying his Karmas. He told: instead of finding out an
imaginary God, try to become a God, the highest stage of mankind.
One of his
famous doctrine is Anekantvad i.e. pluralism. According to it, every truth
has many angles or viewpoints. Every observer observes some truth and he is
not totally wrong. But the whole truth could be told only after considering
all the viewpoints.
He never
believed in classes and castes. According to him, a person becomes great by
his own deeds and it has nothing to do with in which community, class, or
caste he is born. One of his famous quotes is: Eko Manuss Jaai which means
that all mankind is one. Even a outcasted could join as a monk in Vardhman
Mahaveer's Sangh. Chandana, the slave woman also became a nun and eventually
she became the head of all nuns in Vardhman Mahaveer's sangh.
Enough of Mahaveer now …..
Only man can laugh, no animal …. Think
off…
"Doctor,"
a woman said as she rushed into Mulla Nasrudin's house, "I want you to
tell me frankly, exactly what is wrong with me." Nasrudin looked her
over from head to foot, then said, "Madam, I have three things to tell
you. First, you are about fifty pounds overweight, Second, your looks would
be improved if you took off several layers of rouge and lipstick. And third, I am not the doctor. The
doctor's office is across the street."
Mulla
Nasrudin thought he was going to die with a toothache. He asked his friend,
"What can I do to relieve the pain?" "I will tell you what I
do," his friend said. "When I have a toothache, or a pain, I go
over to my wife, and she puts her arms around me, and caresses me, and
soothes me until finally I forget all about the pain." Nasrudin
brightened up and said: "Gee, that's wonderful! is she home
now?"
The bus was crowded when the little old lady got on, and Mulla Nasrudin stood
up. She pushed the Mulla back gently and said, "No, thanks."
Nasrudin tried to rise again and she pushed him back a second time. Finally,
Nasrudin said to her, "Please let me get up, lady, I am two blocks past
my stop now."
Mulla
Nasrudin had been working day and night throughout his district in a life or
death struggle for reelection. He was relaxing one evening, following a
speech, in the home of a friend. "I have heard your speeches," his
friend said, "but I think the real question is what will you do if you are
reelected." "NO," said Nasrudin, "The real question is
what will I do if I am not."
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