Pressespiegel:  Acharya Mahaprajna

04.01.2004

18.01.2004

Ahimsa Times

Acharya Tulsi Award For Dutifulness

December 2003 issue

Acharya Tulsi Award For Dutifulness will be given on the 18th January, 2004 in the presence of Acharya Mahaprajna to Smt. Poornima Advani.
Smt. Poornima Advani, Chairperson of National Women's Commission has been selected for this year's Acharya Tulsi Award for dutifulness. This award is being given by All India Terapanth Mahila Mandal for the last two years. Smt. Advani has been engaged in women's education, training and development activities for a long time. The award will carry a cash amount of rupees one lakh and an eulogical narrative. It will be given on the 18th January, 2004 in the presence of Acharya Mahaprajna.       [Source: Ahimsa Times - December 2003   http://www.jainsamaj.org]

A play based based on Jain monk Acharya Mahaprajna's writings. To be precise, he wrote the script, based on a king conversing with the nature around him.

Says Acharya Mahaprajna, "We too have to move in the same direction as the waterfall. When something is no longer useful, it is forgotten...

...the muni said he was taking up the new “maha-yajna” in the form of a yatra from Punjab to Kashmir with the purpose of promoting mutual brotherhood.

Acharya Mahaprajna explains that spirituality is the path of purity of consciousness; the awakening of a consciousness that develops because of sublimation of attachment and aversion. This results in an appeased mental state and the true experience of peace and freedom from inner turmoil.

Change is born of two originals: The material cause and the instrumental cause. Competence becomes operational by combining with favourable circumstances.

The Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for 2002 has been given to Acharya Mahaprajna, renowned Jain Muni and a Gandhian activist, it was announced on Friday.

According to Jain tradition, among the 12 types of penances, the first four — anashan (fasting), unodari (eating less), vritti-sankshepa (selective eating) and rasa-parityaga (taste-selection) —are particularly good for health.

Today, economic policy is designed to help us achieve a new global order with optimum economic configurations. Earlier, output maximisation and mass-scale production was necessary to satisfy the escalating demands of a growing population.

TODAY'S genetic scientists claim that the attitude of man grows from within along with his life.

Shri Jain Shwetambar Terapanth Mahila Mandal will organise a symposium on female foeticide at Terapanth Bhavan in Bagh Wali Gali tomorrow at 10 am, according to Ms Manju Vaid, chairperson of the mandal.

According to Acharya Mahaprajna, opposition is a fundamental rule for existence. ‘‘There is no type of existence in which opposites do not co-exist...

The Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi’s Address to Jain Conference, Gandhinagar, Gujarat on 25 August 2002: Non-Violence Shows the Way. I am very happy that today I am with you all to take part in the pious programme of Ahimsa March (non-violence march).

Interview with a Times journalist.
Koba (Gandhinagar): President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam delayed his Kutch visit to meet him.  L.K. Advani came with his family to seek his blessings, immediately after becoming deputy minister.  RSS chief K. Sudershan will be spending a day with three chief ministers and spend two hours with him.

The Terapanth Youth organised a two-day function in Lala Brij Lal Aggarwal Dharamshala to show the youth the right path.

Prekshadhyana is the know-ledge of self. Those who do not know themselves, cannot know others well.

Acharya Mahaprajna draws many lessons from this simple story. The idea of possessiveness is crippling. It leads to greed, arrogance, anger, aversion, fear and lust.

He agreed with a message sent by Acharya Mahaprajna, head of the Shwetambar Terapanth sect, which said: "Amidst so much violence, should we celebrate Mahavir Jayanti? Yes, for this is when Mahavir’s message is needed the most."

Today is Lord Mahavir’s 2,600th birth anniversary. A number of people are born unnoticed on this earth every day but Mahavir’s birth was extraordinary.

The Vice-President, Krishan Kant, has asserted that in the present scenario of communal intolerance, `ahimsa' (non-violence) had become the need of the hour.

THE art of being in a state of solitude is called Prekshadhyana. Those who have learnt to be in solitude can establish friendliness with the present moment.

Says Acharya Mahaprajna that it is not rare to meet a man who is completely honest, very brave, very well read or very generous. But, indeed, it is rare to meet a man who is totally devoid of fear.

Lord Mahavira, whose original name was Vardhamana, was son of Siddhartha who was the head of a Kshatriya clan called Jnatrikas in Vaishali. A contemporary of Lord Buddha, he was the last of the Tirthankaras as per the belief of the Jain community.

THANKS to our sense organs, to observe others and learn about them is one of our natural habits.

Acharya Mahaprajna says that non-violence is founded on the three basic principles of amity, tolerance and fearlessness. Most spiritual leaders would concur with this seemingly simple definition.

THE followers of Jainism celebrate Paryushan Parva , a spiritual festival that is spread over 30 days, culminating in the Kshamavani Diwas, the day of forgiveness and atonement. In pursuance of the ultimate goal of Jainism, of achieving spiritual good, these 30 days are characterised by the observance of fasts, vows of silence and meditation.

Sacred SpaceI am not at all surprised at not being independent. Not to speak of me, no one endowed with life is independent.

Acharya Mahaprajna (Feb 3) quotes Mahaveer Jain as saying that mighty disasters are the net result of "strong, imbalanced desires of Mankind."

Which is why Jain Acharya Mahaprajna while appealing to all communities to come to the aid of the Gujarat quake victims without any selfish reason, pride or desire for fame, averred that "this calamity should teach all people to eschew violence, exploitation, cruelty, fraud, lust etc..." and that "mighty disasters are the net result of strong, imbalanced desires of mankind".

Only that man can be called tender-hearted in whose heart flows a perpetual stream of compassion. Such a man can never practise exploitation, cannot ignore the happiness and comforts of others in order to keep himself happy and comfortable, and cannot do anything likely to harm others.

I see on the one hand the enormous universe and on the other a minuscule man.

"VALUE-based education'' is in vogue today because values command a great significance in society. A society which is endowed with lofty values, makes progress.

When a youth was asked about religion, he said, "I do not consider it to be necessary."
Another youth, in reply to the same question, answered, "I'm not interested in it".

Recognition of the truth is the discovery of true conscience. Being haunted by the truth is being haunted by your own true conscience. The point of these experiences is for you to realise what your part in the big drama of life is.

Only that man can be called tender-hearted in whose heart flows a perpetual stream of compassion.

How would you explain the basic principles of Jainism?
"Jainism has a sacred book known as Saman Sutra. This contains scriptures written by Lord Mahavira and has been put together by Acharya Tulsi (one of Jainism's leading spiritual leaders and guru of Acharya Mahaprajna). Jainism is basically atman (soul)-oriented."