CONVERSATION
Maskhaman: A Beautiful Journey
Some of the life’s eventful experiences cannot be fully articulated and shared in the form of words. They just need to be experienced to be known. Moreover, similar efforts can be perceived and experienced differently by different individuals. Jain Digest came to know about one seeker who had done ‘Maskhaman’ during Paryushan of 2020 and wanted to find out more about his experience in taking on such a challenge. Here are some highlights of the conversation. The seeker has requested to keep this anonymous. JD: Congratulations on doing such an arduous Tapasya as Maskhaman which you refer to as a beautiful journey. How did you decide to do it?
Seeker: Thanks. I had not planned it. It started spontaneously on one early morning with no clue on the night before that such a journey would be embarked upon. There was no numeric goal in mind, no desire or goals of fame, body weight loss, testing will power, thrill of overcoming a challenge, etc. It was purely led by curiosity, complete surrender, and a never before incremental experience. The journey kept building one hour and one day at a time based on an inner divine calling without any destination in mind. JD: That’s wonderful. Did you have a religious upbringing that helped you? Seeker: Yes. My engagement with religious Gurus and the values given to me by my parents played an important foundational role for this event to get triggered in my life. It is my belief that feelings to embark on such a journey are triggered by years of sporadic time to time engagement & blessings of gurus and spiritual environment experienced during the course of life. Once triggered the feelings and the journey was led and sustained by a divine power. JD: In addition to parents and Gurus, in which way did the teachings of Jain religion helped you?
Seeker: The beauty of Jain religion is that it encourages us to observe and learn from experiments – aided by the intellectual knowledge provided by the Tirthankars through the Agams, professed over centuries by the Acharyas / Upadhyayas / Sadhus & Sadhvi’s, the world and its ecosystem including the body and mind as the laboratory and equipment, the divine as the conductor and our soul identity as the observer and experiencer. Human bodily life is a wonderful
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opportunity to discover and experience the beauty of the identity soul, and its ever-present connectivity to the larger divine power. JD: Did the COVID-19 Pandemic make it harder for you to do the Tapasya? Seeker: Actually, it helped. Due to the lockdown during the Pandemic, it was possible for me to remain completely cut off from the world other than immediate family members living in the same household. This made it possible to stay in long periods of meditative silence which enabled inner exploration and uninterrupted periods of bliss without distraction. JD: Do you think attitude plays an important role in doing such Tapasya successfully? Seeker: Certainly. If done with the right attitude, intent, and conduct; Maskhaman or any form of Tapasya can be one of the most blissful life transforming experience of human life. For me, practicing the art of meditation for several months before, aided in the nonjudgmental meditative observation and knowing of the journey. The journey was beautiful because of the spontaneity and the mindful non-judgmental, non-goal oriented attitude. JD: What were your feelings completed your journey?
after
you
Seeker: On the day of the ‘Parna’ (fast breaking day), there was a realization that the journey has not ended, instead the experience was a preparation for a long journey to get started, with glimpses of the sample of fruits that could be realized along the way as a motivational force. The body, mind and soul was filled with an enormous ocean of energy to aid in embarking on the new journey.
