Shri Acharang Sutra | By Jainacharya Ratnasundersuri M.S. | LIVE | Dhule | 1 Aug 2024

Shri Acharang Sutra
Todays Pravach...
Our Soul is pure and one, but our mind takes many forms and changes every moment of the day! We can categorize the states of our mind into five categories out of which we talked about ruthless mind yesterday that just cares about self even at the cost of others!
Today, we will focus on second cagegory, the ‘Detached mind’ (Nirlep mann). For our mind to be detached from self-centeredness and fulfilling our own desires, it needs to develop compassion and gratitude towards all other living beings. Compassion towards other living beings’ suffering is the foundation of ‘Dharma’. You can proclaim yourself as having entered the domain of true ‘Dharma’ if you
i. Cannot stand to see anyone suffering
ii. Vow not to give suffering to others and
iii. You always strive to remove other’s sufferings
The foremost thing to proceed on the path of Dharma is possible if “You are willing to bring down the ‘walls’ in all your relationships and keep building and strengthening the ‘bridges’.
i. Now, how do we bring down the walls? Can you take a very simple pledge that you will not speak ill about the people who are no longer in this world? God has commanded us not to criticize even a living person, and we do not spare even a dead person! Let’s at least start with this small step and progress further. Be the bridge in your relationships and not a wall.
ii. How can we create bridges in our relationships? By developing a helping attitude towards all. From today stop saying "what can I do for others?" and start saying "I can and will do this much for others". The fact is, you will not find even a single rich person who will not say want something and on the other hand, there cannot be even a single poor person who cannot lend a helping hand. Everyone is capable of helping others if there is a strong will!. Take the example of a poor rickshaw puller from Calcutta who did a great job of doing something for fellow poor people by providing his rickshaw services for free one day in a week!