You are Therefore I am: A Declaration of Dependence

In fact, we are more truly ourselves when we are in the mode of being rather than doing.

‘this is true and that is also true’.

Water is so powerful, so overwhelming, yet the duck swims right through it, and water just rolls off its back. So we can learn from the duck how to swim in the sea of sorrow and remain joyful.”

“Should I pay attention to my feet touching the earth or to my breathing? I can’t do them both at once, can I?” I remember asking Mother. “Yes, you can. Don’t think about breathing, nor think about walking. Meditation is not about thinking on these things. Just let it happen.” Only much later did I understand what she was saying: that meditation is

“In the same way we human beings have to let go of our pride, our separateness, and not bother about our individual identity. If we immerse ourselves in the process of life, and trust the process of the universe, and identify ourselves with others, we can become the tree of a thousand branches and a million plums.”

For every Jain devotee it is an essential practice to begin the day with the darshan of a holy person or sacred image in a temple. It must be done before breakfast, before work, before any form of activity, so that the spirit of the encounter can permeate the day and every activity.

The lotus is our guru, our teacher. It shows us a way to accept sorrow and serenity simultaneously.

The Joy of Making

“Too many possessions take too much of your time,” Mother believed. “You have to clean them, look after them, use them, store them; if you are always busy with material things, when do you have time for reflection, meditation and service to the community?”