________________
BASIC ELEMENTS OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
121
or for his country. Fearlessness and courage are the foundation stone of the citadel of your character.
Excessive Speech is a Disease
Fever, asthma, consumption and pain are the diseases of the body.
The habit of excessive talking, talking irrespective of propriety of time and place, or speaking false, or hard and biting words, is a disease of the mind.
Attachment and Animosity go Together
Attachment and animosity are twins. Where there is one, the other must also be there. If you have attachment with one, you will certainly have animosity with another. If you have animosity with one, you will have attachment with another. If you desire to be liberated, you must give up both of them.
Joy and Sorrow
So long as the waves of joy and sorrow are rising in the ocean of your heart, you remain bound in chains. You are far from true asceticism and penance.
Vanity
Authority carries a bad companion with it-Vanity. This is why as soon as a man gets authority, he begins to think that he is somebody different from the common man. He gets intoxicated under the effect of his authority. Blessed are those who have authority without its cursed companion, vanity. Authority touched with kindness and humility acquires a new lustre and leads to universal good.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
