Message, Foreword, PREFACE

 

Message

     It gives me genuine pleasure to learn that my talented and worthy submissive disciple Munishri Kam Kumar Nandi is marching ahead on the thorny path of nude Jain monkshood devotedly and undauntedly by the challenges of �Mithya Dristi� i.e., mundane souls with evil perception. Although he has seen only twenty seven springs of his life so far and he is too young both in his physical age and spiritual age to fully grasp the deep Jain philosophy, which has come to perfection by and by, starting from the 1^st Tirthankara Aadi Nath ji (Rishabh Deva) and culminating to lofty heights by the time of the last 24^th Tirthankara, Lord Mahavir. Yet he is doing miracles in his spiritual attainments. I initiated him to the holy tradition of nude Jain monkshood in February 1989 at the holy Jain place of pilgrimage of Shri Sammed Shikherji also known as Parshwa Nath hills. He is only twenty-seven years old now and his spiritual age is only six years as yet; still he carries an old head on his young shoulder. His devotees are bringing out this first English edition of his Hindi sermons on Ten Universal Virtuous (Dash Lakshan Dharma) specially dear to the Jains. This noble soul delivers sermons, which are both instructive and inspiring.

     I wish him every success in his sincere endeavor in conveying the superb message of Jainism to the entire humanity.

      Gandhar Acharya Kunthu Sagar

 

UNIVERSAL TRUTH

Self is self, and Matter is matter,

The twain can never meet in one.

 

Foreword

     Ever since I renounced home in November, 1988 and took celibacy vow at Ankloose in Maharashtra state; and thereafter Gandhar Acharya Shri Kunthu Sagar ji Maharaj initiated me as a nude Jain monk in February, 1989 at the holy mount Sri Sammed Sikharji, I always aspired to kindle the flame of eternal truth in man by creating a stir in his thought-realm. It is my confirmed belief that by gradual change in �outlook� on life i.e., the tendency of looking to the needs of external body alone, the blessed souls, who �in-look� i.e., look to the inner soul ultimately attain salvation one day. Because so long as their inner soul slumbers and the body or the outer man awakes, they rejoice in material pursuits and sensuous pleasures. But when their inner soul awakens their bodily requirements go in deep slumber. In that state the soul alone exists but the physical body perishes. In the absence of the body they get rid of the cycle of births and deaths; for when they become �independent� i.e., depend on the inner or their real self, they become truly independent from carnal desires and physical objects and their spiritual existence alone subsists.

     This book describes in detail the Ten Universal Virtues enumerated differently by renowned scholars in Jain scriptures. The ten virtues are:

�Dharma, Seva, Kshanti, Mridutvmrijuta, ch Shotmath, Satyam

     Akinchanyam, Brahm, tyagshch, tapashch, sanyamshcheti�

(Acharya Amritchandra, Sloka 208)

1. Uttama Kshama - Supreme Forgiveness (To observe tolerance whole-heartedly, shunning anger.)

2. Mardava - Tenderness or Humility (To observe the virtue of humility subduing vanity and passions.)

3. Arjaya - Straight-forwardness or Honesty (To practice a deceit-free conduct in life by vanquishing the passion of deception.)

4. Shaucha - Contentment or Purity (To keep the body, mind and speech pure by discarding greed.

5. Satya - Truthfulness (To speak affectionate and just words with a holy intention causing no injury to any living being.)

6. Sanyam - Self-restraint (To defend all living beings with utmost power in a cosmopolitan spirit abstaining from all the pleasures provided by the five senses - touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing; and the sixth - mind.)

7. Tapa - Penance or Austerities (To practice austerities putting a check on all worldly allurements.)

8. Tyaga - Renunciation (To give four fold charities - Ahara (food), Abhaya (fearlessness), Aushadha (medicine), and Shastra Dana (distribution of Holy Scriptures), and to patronize social and religious institutions for self and other uplifts.)

9. Akinchanya - Non-attachment (To enhance faith in the real self as against non-self i.e., material objects; and to discard internal Parigraha viz. anger and pride; and external Parigraha viz. accumulation of gold, diamonds, and royal treasures.)

10. Brahmacarya - Chastity or celibacy (To observe the great vow of celibacy; to have devotion for the inner soul and the omniscient Lord; to discard the carnal desires, vulgar fashions, child and old-age marriages, dowry dominated marriages, polygamy, criminal assault on ladies, use of foul and vulgar language.)