Friday, June 22, 2007
The tendency to accumulate binds man. Since man does not know how to be free, unattached and independent, consequently he cannot know how to be solitary.
Only he who is liberated and detached can be solitary. A detached person uses material objects but he is not bound by them. Material objects have the tendency to bind men, and almost all people are bound by material objects. To use the material is one thing, to be bound and become a slave to it, is an entirely different thing.
Nowadays a new culture has been evolved by a few thinkers. That culture is known as the "throwaway culture". Much thinking has been done on this and literature on it has been developed. It means use it and throw it away. This is a new culture emerging and the culture of renouncing unnecessary assets is very old and ancient. How much will you pile up or hoard, use it and throw it away. The tendency to accumulate binds man. Since man does not know how to be free, unattached and independent, consequently he cannot know how to be solitary. Only those who have learnt to live in solitariness enjoy the highest bliss.
The most important doctrine of spirituality is to be solitary. One is born solitary and has to die alone, life between death and birth is spent living in society. Man forgets truth due to the presence of people in his mind and shatters the state of his solitariness as he even forgets that he wass born solitary.
It is a matter of great concern that society inculcates such deep delusion in man that the realisation of solitariness, the greatest truth of life, is lost and shattered. If Dharma has any solution then that is the realisation of solitariness and oneness. This realisation, even while living in society, is the biggest achievement.
Mahavira preached leading an honest and truthful life. There are 12 types of contemplations. These contemplations are meant to break the vicious circle of delusion. Whenever man gets deluded, the practice of contemplation shatters and wipes out this delusion. People, who do not practise contemplation, strengthen delusion, which leads them away from the truth. There is one kind of contemplation called the awareness of solitariness among these twelve contemplations. The solitary person has no belief in 'mine'-ness.
We should not limit ourselves to social life but try to live a truthful and realistic life also. One who only leads a social life, creates headaches and tensions for himself and for others. One who leads a social as well as a realistic life, is creative, constructive and a successful man in the world. We should strive to live a balanced life, for without a social life we cannot fulfil our material, bodily needs, and without a realistic life we cannot satisfy our spiritual needs...