TEZPUR, May 6 - According to Jainism, each individual soul is pure and perfect, but since eternity it has been associated with karmic matter which is transformed into different forms. This suppresses innate cognitive and other properties of the soul which has, therefore, become subject to birth and rebirth. The supreme object of religion is to show the way of liberation to the soul from the bondage of karma. This spiritual process is inextricably connected with the process of shedding karmas. The basic concept underlying a vow of sallekhana or santhara is to prevent influx of new karmas even at the last stages of life and at the same time liberate the soul from the bondage of karmas. This message of Jainism was delivered by Jain monk Shri Mahashraman, the eleventh Acharya of the Terapanth sect, while addressing the jawans of the Bihaguri ITBP headquarters and the common people of Bihaguri area on Wednesday during his five-day Ahimsa Yatra here.
The Jain monk, who has been on a mission to promote world peace and harmony and to campaign against drug abuse, held a meeting at the ITBP headquarters. He laid stress on avoidance of drugs and said that intoxication ruins life. Consumption of alcohol or other intoxicating substances affects the physical and mental faculties of a person and he or she loses respect in the family and society, he said.
Accompanied by other leaders of the sect, the Jain monk was welcomed to Tezpur by Vyawastha Samiti, Tezpur, in a procession from the Rupam Petrol Pump area. He has since been attending a series of spiritual meetings at various places including Lachit Chowk and Mahashraman Bhawan.
