Shivani Bothra
I will conclude the chapter by representing a dialogue from Tulsi's biography between Mr. Alvira (a representative from UNESCO) and Tulsi. The following conversation is helpful in understanding Tulsi's perspective on the vows as well as to interpret the ripple effect of the movement outside India.
AT: | Have you seen the rules laid out in Anuvrat Movement? |
Alvira: | Yes, I have seen them. Why is the construction of these so negative? |
AT: | To restrain something, it is important to negate it. There is no limit to 'Do this, Do that.' |
Alvira: | Even in the Bible, the rules laid out have punitive tone, but it also says: love your neighbor. |
AT: | Such an explanation is also there in the Anuvrat Movement, extend amity Maitri to all. However, this is a teaching not a vow. |
Alvira: | Indians have a strong belief in nonviolence and want to integrate in their lives. They are fortunate to have such a living inspiration like you. Can it be spread in the Western countries? |
AT: | Why not, who does not want to live an ethical life and especially, if we have supporters like you. |
Alvira: | I am always there with you in this noble cause.[45] |
A ship is safe in a harbor but that is not what ships are built for. Acharya Tulsi was the ninth Acharya of the Terapanth lineage and one of the most talked about monks of the mid twentieth century in India. He took painstaking efforts to be inclusive and realized that religious "teaching" alone is not enough, "action" is also required, and that the idea of vows as action, which had its roots in Jain traditions, could be an effective tool to create social change in secular society as well.
