Acharya Mahaprajna
Truth is truly colossal. It is a courageous effort to encompass it within words. Man builds his house by enclosing infinite space. He illuminates it by getting a portion of sun's rays lighting infinite space. Then why can't we experience the colossal superhuman power by coming in contact with the periphery of Truth.
Can anyone reach Truth without first destroying the armour of pertinacity? All those have fled away from Truth who have tried to see subjectively through their personal viewpoint. All those have got close to Truth who have tried to see it factually and objectively.
A housewife was once trying to pull a bo-tree by tying a rope round it. Her hands were profusely bleeding. Her body was trembling. Tears were rolling down her cheeks incessantly. Even then the obstinate bo-tree was simply refusing to budge an inch. A traveller passed by that place and saw everything that was going on. Gently he said, 'Sister! What are you doing?' She replied, 'Brother! My mother-in-law had asked for the bo-tree and, therefore, I am trying to take it home. But it is very obstinate. It simply refuses to oblige me.' She once again pulled the rope but the tree did not move.
The traveller said, ‘Sister! The bo-tree will not go like this.' He climbed the tree, broke a branch and giving it to the housewife said, 'Take this bo-tree and give it to your mother-in-law.'
Acharya Bhikshu has described pertinacity born of ignorance through the above tale. But this is not the only form of pertinacity. There is also another type born of ownership.
Once a man was sitting and drinking water out of a small pond. The pond was almost dry because of the intense heat of the month of Jeth (May-June). Whatever was left was muddy. Just then a passer-by came there. He said, ‘A little distance from here there is a big pond full of clean water. You should drink that. Why do you drink this muddy water?' The first man replied, 'This small pond belongs to my father and I will drink only its water.' Saying so he once again tried to drink the water.
There is no dearth in this world of people who think and act in the above way. lf there had been no pertinacity born of ownership, Truth would not have remained covered.
Pertinacity born of illusion is even more horrible.
Once a dog lived with a washerman. His name was Sataba. The washerman had two wives. They used to quarrel too much with each other. One of the abusive expressions they used for each other while quarrelling was 'You the wife of Sataba.' The dog became a victim of this illusion. They stopped feeding the dog and he became famished and infirm. A neighbour' s dog said to him. 'Come on, we will wander about and find something to eat.' The first dog replied, 'How can I go out leaving my two wives behind?'
Pertinacity born of previous life's influences is no less harmful.
Once an ant was going somewhere. On the way it met another ant. Both talked with each other. The incoming ant made inquiries about the well-being of the outgoing ant. The latter said, ‘Sister! Everything else is fine except that my mouth always tastes salty.' The former remarked, 'How can you avoid that taste since you live on a mountain of salt? Come on with me. I live on a mountain of sugar crystals. There your mouth will taste sweet. ' The latter readily accompanied the former. But its mouth did not taste sweet even on the mountain of sugar crystals. She said to the native ant. 'My mouth even now tastes salty.' The ant replied, 'I hope you haven't brought in your mouth a crystal of salt.' 'You are right, I have it in my mouth.' remarked the guest ant. Thereupon the native ant remarked, 'Sister! How will your mouth taste sweet without giving up the salt?'
No one can get liberated without ridding himself of prejudices.
