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Jain
Quotations
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- Whatever you wish for yourself, wish
the same for others.
- Jainism relies a great deal on one's
own efforts and initiatives, and laws
of nature.
- We are the masters of our destiny. **
Attachment and aversion are seeds of Karma,
and karma is the source of misery.
- Even the most offended and powerful
enemy does not cause as much harm as uncontrolled
attachment and aversion do.
- One, who washes away the dirty heap
of greed with the water of equanimity
and contentment, attains the everlasting
happiness, Moksha.
- All the living beings wish to live and
do not want to die. That is why tirthankars
prohibit the killing of living beings.
- Just as pain is not acceptable to you,
it is so with others.
- There is no fear for a person with the
right perception.
- Knowledge without right conduct, accepting
vows without right faith and performing
austerities without self-control are all
futile.
- Right faith is the root of the great
tree of liberation.
- True austerity results in the absence
of desire, and absence of desire results
in the salvation.
- A person with right knowledge does not
lose him/her self in this material world.
- Just as a millions of lamps are of
no use to a blind person, study of numerous
scriptures does not do any good to a person
without proper conduct.
- Equanimity, tolerance, pure-thought,
freedom from attachment and aversion,
right conduct, religion, devotion to one's
own self - all of these are one and same.
- One should practice religion when he/she
is young and healthy.
- In the ocean of the material world,
right religion is the best island for
supreme shelter.
- The knowledge which reveals the multiple
aspects of things in an indirect form
and is free from any doubts is called
the scriptural knowledge.
- To be Anekäntvädi: 1) Do
not insist on your own approach, 2) Accept
partial truth as expressed by others,
3) Accept the truth even if it is expressed
by adversaries, 4) Accept that the truth
can consist of seemingly opposing views,
5) Develop a strong urge to seek truth,
6) Believe in possibilities and 7) Exercise
equanimity towards all.
- Shrävak (male householder) or Shrävikä
(female householder) is the person who
is living in a house, has unconditional
faith in the teachings of Jina and at
least practices the some of the partial
vows (anuvrata).
- Ahimsä holds the key position in
the whole scheme of the ethical discipline
of the householder and the monk.
- The true religion is consisted of continuous
act of compassion.
- Religion is supremely auspicious and
its essentials are the practice of nonviolence,
self-control and austerity.
- True renunciation consists in developing
indifference towards the world, the body
and the enjoyment.
- Every soul is in itself absolutely omniscient
and blissful. The bliss does not come
from outside.
- The essential nature of a thing is called
Dharma.
- I am alone, pure, eternal and formless,
and possessing the qualities of apprehension
and comprehension. There is nothing, not
even an atom, that is my own.
- " Knowledge without action (conduct)
is of no consequence and action (conduct)
without knowledge is of no consequence.
A lame man can see the fire (has knowledge)
but he cannot escape from it (thus his
knowledge is ineffective.) On the other
hand, a blind man (not knowing in which
direction he is running) tries to run
away from the fire (takes action) but
(without knowledge) he may not be able
to escape the fire.""
- " Unity of knowledge and action
(conduct) leads to the desirable result.
These are like two wheels of a chariot
which cannot run on one wheel. Everybody
knows the story of the lame and blind
who got together, escaped the fire in
the jungle and reached the town."
- "The fire of austerity (conduct)
which is associated with the air (oxygen)
of knowledge and which has the blaze of
chastity, burns the seeds (Karma) that
are responsible for worldly life like
wildfire burning a heap of hay."
- "Jains believe that the complete
truth cannot be explained by one view
point. To know the complete truth, all
angles and all aspects of the given situation
need to be analyzed and considered. This
approach is called "Anekäntväd"
(multiplicity of views and theory of relativity)."
- "Anekäntväd is the basis
of Jainism. It is the life-force of the
Jain philosophy."
- "Without whom, even the worldly
affairs cannot be carried out, I bow to
that Anekäntväd , the only preceptor
of the universe."
- "Our beliefs in Ahimsä supersedes
all concepts, ideologies, rules, customs
and practices, traditional or modern,
eastern or western, political or economical,
self-centered or social"
- "Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
is physical Ahimsä (nonviolence),
Syädväd (accepting others words
in "some respect") is verbal
Ahimsä and Anekäntväd (multiplicity
of views) is Ahimsä of thoughts.
The violence begins in thoughts, then
transforms in speech, and then in physical
form."
From Dashvaikälik Sutra:
- Anger (KRODH), pride (MÄN), deceit
(MÄYÄ) and greed (LOBH) add
to demerit (PÄP). He who is desirous
of his own well-being, should completely
give up these four passions.
- Anger spoils good relations, pride destroys
humility, deceit is detrimental to friendship,
while greed destroys everything.
- One should suppress anger by tranquillity.
Pride should be replaced by humility.
Deceit should be avoided through simplicity
(straightforwardness). One should overcome
greed through contentment.
- If anger and pride are not controlled,
and, if deceit and greed are allowed to
increase, then these four evil passions
serve to water the roots of the tree of
transmigration (Sansär, cycle of
birth and death).
From Uttarädhyayan Sutra:
- Anger causes degradation of soul. Pride
leads to a low state of existence. Deceit
is an impediment (hindrance) to progress
towards better state of existence. Greed
spoils both, the present and the future
lives.
- Knowing that greed has no bounds - all
the rice and barley of the entire earth,
all the stock of gold and all the cattles
of the earth are not sufficient to satisfy
the desires of a single individual; the
wise should practice austerities.
- Greed always increases with possessions.
The more we get, the more we want. In
the beginning, we desire far a little
wealth and think that it will be sufficient
for our needs. On acquiring it, we think
that even millions will not be sufficient
for our needs.
- By renouncing passions, the soul attains
the state of complete freedom, the state
(VEETARÄG) beyond attachment and
aversion. On attaining the state of non-attachment
and non-aversion, the soul becomes indifferent
to worldly pleasure and pain.
- By conquering anger, the soul acquires
the quality of forgiveness. By conquering
pride, the soul gains humility. By giving
up deceit, the soul acquires simplicity
and straightforwardness. By conquering
greed, the soul attains contentment.
- A person who is free from delusion (who
understands reality), has no misery. A
person who is without any longing has
no delusion. A person without greed has
no longing. A person who does not have
possessions has no greed.
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