Acharya Mahaprajna
Mahavira gave us the maxim insecurity. He did not declare anyone to be safe. He said, "He who seeks refuge where there is none, is destroyed." There is nothing secure. How can another provide any protection? An enlightened soul represents the purity of the soul; a perfected soul embodies the perfection of the soul; a hermit embodies the aspirant nature of the soul and religion embodies its consciousness. There is no other refuge. One's salvation lies in one's own soul, in knowledge, in perception and in character.
- The trinity of knowledge, perception and character (veetaragata) is - an enlightened soul.
- The trinity of knowledge, perception and character is - a perfected soul.
- A monk represents the practice of the trinity of knowledge, intuition and character.
- Religion represents the conduct of the trinity of knowledge, perception and character.
All these are not different from the soul. Let us shed this illusion that we are seeking refuge in another. In seeking refuge in them, we are seeking refuge in ourselves, in our own being.
The person who practises this anupreksha, this wholesome thinking, cannot be unsocial or impractical. All refinement in conduct, reformation in society, revolution and welfare is effected by such persons only. Those who are caught in attachment and illusion, cannot reform society, nor accomplish good works, nor can such persons bring about a social revolution. They cannot take society to the summit of progress. How should they? A person who is deeply attached to material things, who considers matters to be something eternal, struggles so hard for material objects so as to involve the whole society in endless strike. On the other hand, a person who is wholly given to social and group conditioning, follows the group blindly, says to himself, "Whatever happens to others will happen to me". This collectivism then becomes the means of taking one into dense darkness. The individual who seeks security and refuge in others becomes a cypher in oneself. He always depends upon others to savehim. So he follows others. He never tries to stand on his own feet, if these truths are realized by a social individual, the very face of society is altered. Society then assumes a form, which it had never assumed before. A society erected on spiritual foundation and based upon these truths, will be a revolutionary, orderly, peace-loving society, well disposed towards all.
