> Dear all,
> It's sixth day of Paryushan Parv the day of Uttam Sanyam -
> Dharma which teaches us not to lead an arbitrary life but one which is self
> controlled and to attain the meaningful goals. We are presenting the article
> on Uttam Sanyam Dharma based on Pravachans of *Munishri Kshamasagarj* as
> captured in the famous book '*Guruvaan*i'. Hope you would find this
> interesting and useful.
> As usual you can drop by to our blog for this and other articles at -
> http://maitreesamooh.blogspot.com/
> You can also listen to audio clip of Munishri's pravachan on Sanyam on
> youtube-
> *
> "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHdsiBkmWo8*
> *UTTAMA SANYAM (SUPREME RESTRAINT)*
>> · To control, regularize and manage one’s mind-speech and senses
>> is known as *Sanyam.*
>> · *Sanyam* doesn’t mean mere discipline; it is *Aatmanushasan – *discipline
>> of one’s spiritual self.
>> Yesterday we made our minds to inculcate truth in our lives. To make sure
>> we keep up our resolutions and don't get deviated we have today - the day of
>> making our life more disciplined and committed. Whatever have we learnt so
>> far, today we commit to ourselves to maintain that intact. If we have
>> attained the flame of truth in our life then it becomes our duty to put a
>> chimney of *Sanyam *or commitment on it so that the torch of truth
>> remains intact.
>> *Sanyam is not a Bondage/ Barrier *
>> At first Sanyam may look like bondage, a barrier. Why should we restrict
>> ourselves with what to do what not to do? Why should we be restricted by
>> some commitment? Can’t we live without these commitments/ promises? If we
>> want to make our lives better then it’s necessary to put some kind of
>> restrictions or check points that make sure we only rise up in our lives.
>> All other mundane bondages and worldly relations are only a cause of one’s
>> downfall, whereas *Sanyam *in spite of being bondage helps you to rise in
>> your life. It is just like the rope with which we tie a wine to some tree
>> trunk or a stick so that with its help, the wine keeps growing upward.
>> *Role of Discipline in Growth*
>> We impose discipline in our life for several reasons – fear, material
>> gains, or sometimes for our body – to protect our health. But all these
>> disciplines don’t help us in improving our lives. *Sanyam, therefore, *does
>> not mean mere discipline; it means Aatmanushasan – discipline of one’s
>> spiritual self(by oneself).
>> *Sanyam* means – living a disciplined life, increasing one’s
>> commitment and will power. It needs a lot of courage to take a pledge for a
>> lifetime, to bind oneself under a limit, to commit oneself especially when
>> it is not being imposed by someone else but a discipline being accepted by
>> oneself. If we are able to gather this kind of courage then our 'self
>> confidence' keep on growing by the day.
>> *Sanyam** (Restraint) the process of Refinement*
>> What does *Sanyam* do to our life – it helps us refine and correct the
>> deeply ingrained habits and tendencies which otherwise we find very
>> difficult to get rid of. It is *Sanyam* which refines and corrects the
>> tendencies that we have acquired due to our indiscipline, carelessness,
>> disoriented lives. To refine such practices is the job of Sanyam or
>> Spiritual Restraint.
>> *Sanyam *is a way to healthy and balanced life – what to eat, how to eat,
>> when to eat, what to think, what is to be done and what not to be done…. If
>> our life lacks health and balance then would we call it a healthy life?
>> None of us wants to live an unhealthy or unbalanced life. *Before doing
>> anything, just think over it with respect to – when? How? Why? & What? *What
>> to do – what not to do? How to do – how not to do? Why to do – why not to
>> do? Do not do whatever your mind & senses (*mann aur indriyan*) signals
>> you . Just this little bit of thought will help us lead a
>> healthy and balanced life. If our body feels sick then we get worried over
>> it. We should be more worried if our *Chetna *is geting spoiled, if it is
>> getting off balance.
>> To put our mind & senses to proper use, to give them a correct direction
>> is called restraint of senses (*Indriya Niyantran*). Our senses are like
>> a horse – a horse ride is considered pleasurable, & the horse is also
>> supposed to be a fast & healthy one; not that you are riding a weak horse.
>> If we kill all desires of our mind, paralyze our senses or harm them then
>> it’s not going to help us. Instead direct/ guide your mind, & keep the rope
>> control of your senses in your hand & then see how easy your life will
>> become. All we have to do is imbibe only two things – practice and
>> austerity.
>> *Purity of Vision – Wholesomeness of Knowledge (Drushti Ki Nirmalta –
>> Samyaktva Ka Pradurbhav, or Holistic knowledge)*
>> The knowledge that shows the path of austerity is the best knowledge. A
>> pure vision maintains a symbiosis of knowledge and austerity. Therefore our
>> great Acharyas have said – “One who is rich with knowledge and austerity
>> shall automatically achieve a balanced life.”
>> If we decide once to control, direct and discipline our mind, our senses,
>> our speech and our life then our life shall surely be balanced, controlled,
>> healthy, and restrained. Let’s all pray to raise our lives, to achieve
>> Sanyam (Supreme discipline & restraint) in our lives.
>> *Guruvar Kshamasagarji Maharaj Ki Jai! *
> Warm thanks to Yogendra for compiling such a nice article.
> Regards,
> Maitree Samooh
> On Tue, Sep 6, 2011 at 12:22 AM, maitree samooh <samooh.mait...@gmail.com>wrote:
>> Dear all,
>> Jai Jinendra. Find below the pravachan on Uttam Satya.
>> Regards,
>> MS
>> *
>> *
>> *UTTAMA SATYA (SUPREME TRUTHFULNESS)*
>> · Our life is as genuine as our ingenuity of our mind.
>> · Only those who are free of all Kashayas attain a life of truth.
>> Attaining truth means attaining our true nature, getting close to purest
>> form of our soul. An unblemished soul can only attain truthfulness.
>> Truthfulness is nothing but the pristine form of conscience in the absence
>> of all four passions (anger, arrogance, maya (deceit), & greed).
>> The prerequisite to attain a truthful life is to make our mind truthful.
>> To achieve this, our Acharyas have listed eight steps:
>> *1. **Never doubt truth & genuineness.*
>> 2. Even if a lie can get you everything in this world, *never have a
>> desire for this world*. Instead only if we desire truth can we attain a
>> truthful life.
>> 3. *Never disgust truth*, never disgust a truthful person. What
>> happens generally is that we loathe a truthful person; we consider him a
>> fool, an out of date person. Stay away from such feelings.
>> 4. Whatever may be the incentives given, *we shouldn’t desist from
>> the path of truth*.
>> 5. We may commit some mistakes while practicing truth, *ignore those
>> mistakes.*
>> 6. A person trying to walk on the path of truth may defer on some
>> instance, we should *not only ignore his one off mistakes but also give
>> him the chance to stabilize*.
>> 7. Whenever the feeling of affection comes in the mind, *feel
>> affectionate for truth*.
>> *8. **Start respecting truth & true people.*
>> Whenever we don’t praise a person for his truthfulness, it’s incentivizing
>> him to follow the path of lies. Nowadays it appears that liars get more
>> benefits & so people think it’s better we lie & find an easy way out.
>> For example, a student couldn’t do his homework due to headache. When
>> enquired in the class by the teacher, the student truthfully says that he
>> couldn’t complete his homework due to headache. The teacher punishes this
>> student thinking that he must be giving lame excuses.
>> On the other hand another student who didn’t do his homework lied with
>> confidence that he has done his homework. The teacher didn’t even check his
>> copy. So the other student thought “what the use of my truthfulness is.”
>> I could have also lied like him & would have escaped the punishment.
>> On such occasions we must try to enquire in a justified manner & make sure
>> that we always praise the true person. If we always praise truth then slowly
>> our life will also become truthful.
>> *Meaning of Truth*
>> It is necessary that we are truthful first & then speak the truth. Even a
>> truth spoken by a liar can be very harmful. Speaking truth doesn’t only mean
>> stating a fact as it is. Before telling a fact, Acharyas have asked us to
>> consider the following – first of all avoid use of words so far as possible,
>> that’s the most desirable situation. If this is not possible then speak
>> words that are not going to hurt others. When we renounce all such
>> detrimental words & swear to speak the truth then it’s called “SatyaMahavrat”.
>> Jain Acharyas have defined truth as – that which is harmless (*hitkari*)is
>> truth. A truth that will cause harm to someone is put into the category of
>> lies. Jain Acharyas say that it is secondary whether you are telling a fact
>> as it is or not. What’s more important is whether it is saif with pure
>> intentions or with feelings of anger-greed-mockery etc.
>> *Intention is Important*
>> While speaking truth weight it on the following criteria – firstly speak
>> the truth, make sure you are saying with a good intent & pure mind, a truth
>> spoken with a maligned conscience would also be converted to a
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