Page 139 - Faith Personified

‘Laughing a little won’t spoil anything’ – Your mind may tell
you this but trust me, destruction is certain. The negative
impressions of laughter are bound to increase thus decreasing
your maturity level.

If you really want to obstruct the formation of such negative
impressions, then tell yourself to become mature and wise

when such situations arise. Do not laugh aloud on hearing
silly talks.

The fact is–

You have not fixed a specific identity for yourself. The
seriousness and sincerity required is missing. Hence, this life
is spent in worthless momentary pleasures. Where is there
any worry about the soul?

If you want to increase and intensify your spiritual worry —

1) Fix a specific identity for yourself,

2) Increase seriousness in your life,

3) Stop gossiping and laughing over silly, unimportant
issues.

1) Specific Identity means the firm realisation that

For example ‘I am a reputed man’, ‘I am a server of the Jinas,
a follower of his preachings’, ‘I Have undeterred faith in His
words’, ‘I am a Samyaktvi’, ‘I am a Deshvirati Shravaka’, ‘I
am a Jain Saint’, ‘I am literate’.... If such a genuine identity
for yourself is fixed in your mind, then silly jokes and laughter

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