As long as there is a tendency to look at faults in others, there will be no peace of mind. When you do pratikraman all the faults will be erased.
Many of us have faithfully adhered to religious rituals. We have surrendered ourselves to strict penance, fasting, meditation, and other such austerities, only to discover that we still make mistakes through our minds, our speech, and our conduct. Why have we not found internal peace? What should we do when we realize our faults and how should we get rid of them? There should be some method through which we can eliminate kashays from our lives, and progress spiritually toward liberation. Surely there must be a way to live happily with peace and love. What spiritual knowledge have the Vitarag Lords (the supreme enlightened beings) bestowed upon the world? What is true religion? Is there any assurance that one can be absolved for the sins he commits? And if there is such a method, why is it not evident?
One can attain an abundance of knowledge from scriptures, but why can he not incorporate it into his daily life. Ascetics and spiritual teachers continue to preach, but where do they fall short in getting the desired results? Practically every religion mandates stringent rituals and austerities, yet why does the aspirant not achieve any results? Why do his kashays not decrease or his sins erase? Doesn't the liability for all this fall upon the heads of religion? This statement is not made with any malice, it is made with compassion. There should be some way to eliminate our problems. What have the Gnanis and the Tirthankars said about one's progress from the state of ignorance to the attainment of Absolute Knowledge? How can we be liberated from the bondage of our past karmas and the bondage created through our inherent attachment and abhorrence?
It is said that the path of liberation is for the brave and not for cowards, but where must this valor be used to expedite liberation? Is it possible for a person with a lot of bad karmas to acquire good karmas?
How can you suppress the fires of suffering that torment you throughout your life? How can a man cope with a domineering wife, difficult children, and his financial worries that overshadow his peace, day and night?
How can one recover from incessant kashays that exist between a Guru and a disciple? When a person expends his mind, speech, and body by committing adultery or cheating others out of their wealth, where else but in hell or lower life forms can he expect to take birth in his next life? And if one has done so, how can he become free? How can one remain cautious so as to not fall prey to such acts? What are the answers to such questions that have agonized people for time immemorial?
Every human makes mistakes against his will. People become trapped in their own mistakes and suffer incessantly, due to their earnest desire to be free of such mistakes, find inner happiness, and progress toward their liberation.
Book's Contents and Sample Pages
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Hindu (1751)
Philosophers (2385)
Aesthetics (332)
Comparative (70)
Dictionary (12)
Ethics (40)
Language (370)
Logic (73)
Mimamsa (56)
Nyaya (138)
Psychology (412)
Samkhya (61)
Shaivism (59)
Shankaracharya (239)
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