Acharya Tulsi
Sometime ago it was reported in a newspaper that the bullock- cart was being developed to meet the needs of the 21stcentury. In the process of this development, the framework for holding luggage would be made of aluminium and the iron belts and wood would be replaced by pneumatic tyres. The bullock- cart of the new age would also be provided with a steering wheel. The objective is the mingling of tradition and modernity. Originality and relevance are two different elements. Originality is to be found in culture, in tradition, in the individual, in thought, in literatures and in politics. lt has its own value, but this value is enhanced manifold if it is invested with relevance. Likewise, relevance has its own importance, but it becomes all the more significant when combined with originality. In the modern age such elements, things and individuals are in great demand which, besides being original, are also relevant.
Not only the bullock cart, but the vehicle of the individual, family, society, country and religion also needs to be transformed. Unless these are transformed, mere transformation of the bullock-cart would serve no purpose. As regards the need for a change, the process of change goes on for ever. The Jain philosophy accepts this process as a dynamic situation. The condition of everything varies from moment to moment. That is the natural law of the world. Some conditions are also changed through effort. A change may come about naturally or it may be deliberately wrought, but the process of change itself cannot be withheld. That there should be no change is not possible.
If things can change.so can the individual. lt is on the basis of this belief that the individual formulates the goal of building for himself a unique individuality. After formulating his objective, a man moves in that direction. Today's man moves at the speed of a jet engine. He resorts to short-cuts to achieve his goal in the minimum of time. He wants to become rich overnight and to excel all others in business-competition. For this he conceives of a staircase ascending to the heavens, and of laying a tunnel in the depths of the ocean. These seemingly impossible tasks might become possible through the development of scientific techniques, but it is impossible to short-circuit the task of evolving a distinct individuality.
The fundamental theme of the "Welfare Year" is the development of personality. What kind of personality’? The answer is: a spiritual-scientific personality. Among those taking part in this undertaking of personality-evolution, is the graduate class. A student spends nearly 15 to 18 years in studying up to the graduate or the post-graduate level. During this period, there never arises a doubt in his own mind or in the mind of his guardians about the utility of these years. Because it is considered to be necessary for him to qualify for B.Com.or M.Com. etc. The acquisition of a degree is connected with the earning of his livelihood. Earning one’s livelihood is an essential requirement of life; it cannot be ignored. That is one point-of-view.
According to another point-of-view, life is far more important than any livelihood. Earning a livelihood is only a means not the end. The aim of life is to go forward in the pilgrimage of development. A student studies at a school or college there he gets training for intellectual development. But the intellect is only one factor of personality According it a central place in education creates problems. The second factor in personality evolution is wisdom. With the awakening of wisdom emotional development keeps pace with intellectual development without creating an imbalance. The development of a spiritual-scientific personality is possible only with the parallel growth of both intellectual and emotional maturity. This forms the basis of all the activities included in the training programme for the graduates.
If, immediately after completing his college education, a young man goes into service or business, he would not necessarily have acquired the capacity to lead a full life. A young man may not realize it, but at least his parents must be conscious of it. If they are at all concerned that their wards should evolve a distinct personality of their own by becoming acquainted with the whole truth of life, they must utilize the unique opportunity that is now available-the opportunity for awakening wisdom. Some guardians or students may look upon the period of one year to be rather longish. But the fact is that the flow of time cannot be arrested. Since the boy or the girl has already spent a decade and a half in acquiring academic education, they could easily take a year more in their stride. I feel that the kind of training we have in view, cannot be imparted to a student elsewhere even by incurring an expenditure of thousands of rupees per month. But only those who realize the importance of this training will be able to derive benefit from this unique opportunity.
In many countries, after the completion of academic education, there is the tradition of young students engaging themselves in social service in the countryside for one year, or they are given compulsory military training. There is no such system prevalent in India. Let the young boys and girls of the Terapanth community set an example for others. After completing their education, let them set apart one year for special training so that the knowledge gained in parts can be integrated, and the experiment pertaining to the awakening of wisdom becomes a regular feature. Only then can the dream of personality-building be fulfilled and a series of fully-integrated individualise further evolved.
