Acharya Tulsi
A strong personality is that which makes its Present better than the past, and starts the process of making its future better than the present. Only on the basis of the present no individual or organisation can achieve lasting fame. During the Ahmedabad chaturmas, we had a talk with Kastur Bhai. He said. "Acharyji, the system of your organisation is very good. l like it. But l is concerned about one thing."
"What’s it?” I asked.
He said, “The way you are running your organisation at present- will it continue like that in the future, too?" You will have to create an efficient system for the future, for no organisation can continue on the basis of the present alone."
Kastur Bhai has many hopes and expectations of the Terapanth Dharam Sangh. For the fulfilment of these expectations, he does not want that there should be any discontinuity in the work being accomplished by the Sangh. Wherever there is discontinuity, the work remains incomplete. L had this point in my mind from the very beginning. What Kastur Bhai said provided further assurance. Even today, I strongly feel that, however much work we might accomplish in our own time, unless we prepare the ground for the future, we cannot rest satisfied.
There is before us the prospect of the coming year. We have decided to observe it as the "Welfare Year” in order to bring about and awakening of wisdom in the youth. We propose to devote this year wholly to the evolution of a spiritual-scientific individuality in our youth. This would require the whole-hearted cooperation of our monks and nuns. As a first step towards this cooperation, I should like to ask our monks and nuns if they are prepared for the creation of a new kind of individuality. If they are not fully prepared, our dream of building new personalities will not be transformed into reality."
l fully realize that it is not possible for all the transform themselves. But some individuals can be transformed. We shall have to go about it systematically. The monks and nuns who feel the urgency of our resolve, our passion, should come foulard to cooperate with us in the realisation of our dream. The lay members of the community will also be on the alert. But more than the alertness of the laity, we shall require total vigilance on the part of our monks and nuns. Without their wakefulness and optimism, our work cannot advance.
Bread is made from flour. Without the flour, there cannot be any bread. Our flour consists of our monks and nuns. If they are not disposed to become something, we shall not be able to accomplish much. How shall we go about it? What shall be doing? ls it at all possible? What do these big plans amount to? Such considerations only weaken the possibility of becoming. We want to become something, and we shall be what we want-with this determination, let us start making our preparations without waiting for the "welfare Year" to begin, let us take the present moment to be auspicious and start a new pilgrimage, ‘Let this alert readiness of yours be the background of your earnest effort for the whole year to come. You should make yourself so receptive, as to assimilate without any difficulty whatever is offered later. Only thus shall we be able to reach our destined goal.
Before making preparation, the monks and nuns must determine what they wish to become during the coming years.
