Page 91 - Desire to Disaster

the greatest source of trouble and vexation. You
must be clear that attachment/aversion to any
person or any thing is a huge botheration. It is not
worth the trouble. Attachment is a perverted state,
one that we should all avoid as far as possible.

2. Whenever you feel inclined towards attachment, please
realise that it is like inviting a thief and criminal to live
in your house.

3. If you must be attached, limit it. Keep many provisos.
Restrict your involvement with attachment. And keep it
in check with your attachment towards the Tirthankaras,
monks and nuns who practise dharma, and the Jain dharma
itself

4. In order to ameliorate your past inappropriate attachments,
try to donate to temples, and religious charities. Hold them
in high regard and try to contribute to the welfare of these
institutions and traditions.

Please keep reflecting on these things. As explained earlier,
you will have to use self-control and penance to keep your
attachment in check.

The soul is eternal. In the course of its journey in sañsāra,
it will come across many opportunities to indulge its senses.
The world is full of objects of sensual fulfilment. Scriptures
compare our senses to wild horses. Wild horses cannot be
ridden. If not reined in properly, they will drag us to where we
do not wish to go. Namely, hell. So do not relinquish control
of your mind and your senses. Else, the consequences are too
painful to contemplate. For ages, our soul has wandered in
hell and has taken birth as a subhuman species. If you do
not wish a repeat of that, self-control is essential. It weakens
the hold of attachment and aversion, and allows the soul to
experience its true nature.

Desire to Disaster 91