139 वा मर्यादा महोत्सव - समस्या समाधान की प्रयोगशाला—तेरापंथ

Summary

The text discusses the 139th Maryada Mahotsav and the teachings of Acharya Shri Bhikshu, who advanced the concepts of consciousness awakening and spirituality. He presented a unique perspective, stating that desiring merit (punya) is itself a sin, as it is akin to desiring sensual pleasures. The core of spirituality, according to him, is breaking attachment (moha) and dissolving ego (ahankar) and possessiveness (mamkar). Acharya Bhikshu identified attachment (rag) as the root cause of suffering, not aversion (dwesh), which he considered a reaction to attachment. He illustrated this with the example of a bee that can pierce wood but gets trapped in a lotus due to attachment. The text emphasizes that understanding attachment is more difficult than understanding aversion, as attachment often goes unrecognized. This leads to bias (pakshapat), which is identified as a major problem in politics, ideology, and religion. The solutions proposed are neutrality and equanimity. Acharya Bhikshu’s Terapanth order is presented as a practical experiment in dissolving ego and possessiveness. He established rules to prevent the formation of personal discipleships, stating that no member can claim a disciple as “mine.” All items are considered to be under one’s care, not ownership. Furthermore, no member can be a candidate for a position; one can strive to be worthy but not seek a title. This system aims to eliminate the ego and possessiveness that lead to schisms and conflicts within religious orders. The text concludes that Acharya Bhikshu’s contribution to dissolving intellectual possessiveness is unique in the history of philosophical development.