Well, yes ofcourse they are! Feelings are damn important according to jainism. What feelings you harbour towards others be it any living form or even non-living! , any event, anyone at all matters and affects your future. And history is full or instances when just feelings only paved they way for souls straight away to 'moksha'. Though as told before, if u practise 'samta' you don't need anything else, but since in today's world ('Dukhma' remember?) it isn't pragmatic or circumstances are not congenial enough, that's why other feelings are equally important. For example, One of the sons of the 1st teerthankar 'Rishabhdev ji', a king named 'Bharat', once in his room, was looking at hiself in the mirror. He saw himself, his clothes, the jewelry he was wearing. And then he began to think on some philosophical thoughts. 'This body is mortal, but not my soul' sort of things, and only during his introspection, his thoughts reached such a height of purity, that he got 'kevala gyaan' instantly, i.e. ultimately 'moksha'.
Allow me illustrate you this with an example or two... Say, someone (mistakenly or intentionally) hits you or abuses you, you might not say anything to him/her ('samta') bt still you most probably will think evil for him, or just feel that you must take avenge it, or such things. This immediately gets your soul tied with more 'karmas'. This is a very small scale example. Consider this.. You worked all day hard on your assignment, and someone spilled water on it, or tore it, or misplaced it, or whatever. The instantaneous reaction is "idiot", "stupid", what did you do? and then you go on cursing the person. You should not even think about it.
Feelings should be correct not only towards other humans but animals too. You should not even think about killing or harming other living beings. Even thinking about gets you as much 'paap' as doing it. , such as... you might think on some occassion for whatever reasons you may have 'might god kill him' or 'may he be damned' snd such things. this is a very hideous crime according to Jainism. You are doing as much wrong as killing the person itself. that's why I said 'Feelings are damn important'. You must acknowledge this fact that you must prioritise 'good for all' before 'good for me'. And good thinking increases our good fortune.
here is a story... There was a king who strongly believed in 'ahimsa'. He was strictly against harming or killing others for his benefits. But due to some 'karmas' in his previous births, he was suffering from misfortune. He consulted his 'raajpandits' who were superstitious, and told the king to kill a hen to remove misfortune. he denied unthinkingly. But his mother begged her, and he couldn't deny her. That's why he thought of a way, he told his mother, that they could just make a statue of hen with flour ('aatta') and use it in yagya. Everyone agreed (or had to agree). BUT during the yagya, the king was thinking that they are giving a real hen as 'bali'. This thought, just this feeling, that he was killing a real hen resulted in his going to hell, and he got tied as much karma with his soul as it would have if it was really carried out.
So, you see?? Your thoughts are vital to your future and sometimes(most of the times) more important than your actions, since you think more than you do. So, what's the remedy if a hideous thought crosses our mind, and we cannot control it? Just be true to yourself and with real emotions and a real heart, ask for forgiveness for your soul, i.e. say 'tassa mischchami dukkadam'. (This is Jainism way of asking for forgiveness).
Therefore, I appeal to all my readers to groom their actions and thoughts as well, and always harbour good feelings towards others, whatever discomfort they give to you.
Wednesday, December 20
Tuesday, December 5
SAMTA- the ultimate feeling
So here's the meaning of samta
'Samta' means the feeling of sambhaav, i.e. to harbour the same feeling for all and at all times, and that too not of hatred or love, well, actually, it is inexplicable as a feeling. You do not have to be happy when it is time to celebrate for that shows your 'moh' to worldly things; and at the same time you do not have to be sad and cry your heart out whenever life's not fair.
Samta includes not to be happy when it is time to be, just think why you are getting this happiness? because of your unearthly deeds in your previous births that you are born as a human this time; to not to be sad when you do not have the circumstances in accord to you; to not to be arrogant about what you have got, which is worth showing off in this world, be it money (like the rich look upon the poor), or status, or fair colour of skin, or may be some exceptionally good qualities (be it academic or otherwise)--remember friends, if you have some coveted quality, say intelligence, it is because of the very fact that you have done really good deeds in the past such as meditation on soul, and that's why you have that power of intelligence in you, don't waste away this quality and get the 'bandh' of more karmas by showing off or boasting or being arrogant about it, ; to bear any atrocities on you be it to any degree or extent-Bhagwaan mahavir swami didnt even say 'ouch' or even a small lineof worry cross his forehead when a gwala had knocked 2 screws into his 2 ears; and much more...
The tirthankaras had an unusual incredible samta.
'Samta' is aptly the ultimate feeling. If one keeps samta, (the feeling of 'sambhaav') in his life at every crossroad or so, he is bound to make his way to 'moksha' easier.
On this note, let me relate a story which is worthy of mention. There was a group of sadhu. On the day of samvasri (will be elaborated upon in later posts), when even common ppl keep a fast, one sadhu urged on not keeping it, since he did not feel he would be able to keep it. He went fro bhiksha to take food from the household. When he came back, he showed what he had brought to the acharya(every group has a head 'acharya') -it was 'khichdi'. The acharya was angry since on such an auspicious day, a sadhu of his group did not keep a fast. (anger is a feeling to be deserted). Anyways, so the acharya spat on the khichdi. Here consider yourself in the state of the sadhu, wouldnt you have been double angry and rebuked (and that's how wars or quarrels begin), but the sadhu, kept samta, that is, he felt no emotion at that point of time, not even for an instance, did anger cross his mind.
And this was the most unearthly thing of all... He instantly got the 'keval gyaan' (will be elaborated in next posta), and he went to moksha,the ultimate deestination for soul.
Note: a soul who gets kevala gyaan is destined to go to moksha.
so you see, how very important 'samta' is to cross this world of ups and downs, of good and bad, of love and treachery or enmity, to settle in the peaceful of all places in universe and beyond... moksha.
'Samta' means the feeling of sambhaav, i.e. to harbour the same feeling for all and at all times, and that too not of hatred or love, well, actually, it is inexplicable as a feeling. You do not have to be happy when it is time to celebrate for that shows your 'moh' to worldly things; and at the same time you do not have to be sad and cry your heart out whenever life's not fair.
Samta includes not to be happy when it is time to be, just think why you are getting this happiness? because of your unearthly deeds in your previous births that you are born as a human this time; to not to be sad when you do not have the circumstances in accord to you; to not to be arrogant about what you have got, which is worth showing off in this world, be it money (like the rich look upon the poor), or status, or fair colour of skin, or may be some exceptionally good qualities (be it academic or otherwise)--remember friends, if you have some coveted quality, say intelligence, it is because of the very fact that you have done really good deeds in the past such as meditation on soul, and that's why you have that power of intelligence in you, don't waste away this quality and get the 'bandh' of more karmas by showing off or boasting or being arrogant about it, ; to bear any atrocities on you be it to any degree or extent-Bhagwaan mahavir swami didnt even say 'ouch' or even a small lineof worry cross his forehead when a gwala had knocked 2 screws into his 2 ears; and much more...
The tirthankaras had an unusual incredible samta.
'Samta' is aptly the ultimate feeling. If one keeps samta, (the feeling of 'sambhaav') in his life at every crossroad or so, he is bound to make his way to 'moksha' easier.
On this note, let me relate a story which is worthy of mention. There was a group of sadhu. On the day of samvasri (will be elaborated upon in later posts), when even common ppl keep a fast, one sadhu urged on not keeping it, since he did not feel he would be able to keep it. He went fro bhiksha to take food from the household. When he came back, he showed what he had brought to the acharya(every group has a head 'acharya') -it was 'khichdi'. The acharya was angry since on such an auspicious day, a sadhu of his group did not keep a fast. (anger is a feeling to be deserted). Anyways, so the acharya spat on the khichdi. Here consider yourself in the state of the sadhu, wouldnt you have been double angry and rebuked (and that's how wars or quarrels begin), but the sadhu, kept samta, that is, he felt no emotion at that point of time, not even for an instance, did anger cross his mind.
And this was the most unearthly thing of all... He instantly got the 'keval gyaan' (will be elaborated in next posta), and he went to moksha,the ultimate deestination for soul.
Note: a soul who gets kevala gyaan is destined to go to moksha.
so you see, how very important 'samta' is to cross this world of ups and downs, of good and bad, of love and treachery or enmity, to settle in the peaceful of all places in universe and beyond... moksha.
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