His Holiness Jain Ächärya Sushil Kumarji Mahäräj (Guruji)
(Life - June 15, 1926 - April 22, 1994)
Compiled
by - Pravin K. Shah (April 25, 1994)
Jain Study Center of NC (Raleigh)
JAINA Education
His Holiness
Jain Ächärya Shri Sushil Kumarji passed away at the age of 68 years, in his
Ashram at 4:00 PM on Friday April 22, 1994 (6:30 AM USA Eastern time) in New
Delhi, India. His devotees affectionately called him Guruji.
Guruji’s Life Mission and Work
Guruji was born
in a Hindu Brahmin family on June 15, 1926 in a small village of Sikhopur, in
Hariyana, India. The village was later named Sushilgarh in Guruji's honour. He
left his family and home at the age of seven to live with a Jain monk Shri
Chhotelälji Mahäräj, who later became his living religious guru.
When Guruji was
a young boy, Shri Roop Chandji Mahäräj appeared to him in spirit and told him
to become a monk. Shri Roop Chandji Mahäräj, who left his body 100 years ago,
was a great yogi and enlightened master in the family of monks to which Guruji
belongs. He was Guruji's spiritual guru. So, at the age of 15, Guruji took
Dikshä in the Jain Sthänakaväsi sect and became a Jain monk.
Guruji pursued
an academic career and obtained a degree of Shästri, Ächärya, Vidyä-Ratna, and
Sähitya-Ratna. He also mastered
classical Indian and yogic philosophies. He did not learn yogic systems from
any master. His knowledge was realized through direct experience, and his
powers were awakened through the grace of past lives.
It was not long
before Guruji's divine mission unfolded that he began to gain recognition as a
fountain of wisdom, truth, and understanding, who actively promoted peace and
harmony throughout his homeland. He worked untiring to establish a sense of
universal brotherhood amongst the conflicting religious traditions of
India. He honoured and respected all of
the world's great religions as an expression of one divine truth.
Guruji was also
widely known in the Jain community for his unprecedented and highly
controversial international tour, which began in 1975. Jain monks are only
permitted to travel solely by foot, yet Guruji recognized the wisdom in breaking
from this ancient restraint in order to share the Lord Mahävir’s message of
nonviolence, peace and oneness of all living beings with the world at
large.
With the
encouragement from Gurudev Shri Chitrabhanuji, Guruji began his international
tour. Since then, his acclaim as a true man of God has spread to all corners of
the earth.
Guruji was a
self realized master, well known for his practice of effects of sound on
spiritual progress and his teachings of the Arhum Yoga system. Arhum Yoga is an
ancient system for the mastery of the inner self through watchfulness and
direct perception. It encompasses all aspects of philosophy and yogic practice
in the Arihanta tradition.
It includes the
Eight Steps of Yoga, sound vibration, healing, awakening of the Kundalini and
all divine powers, color science, holistic health, the concepts of Ahimsa,
Anekäntaväda, and the perfection of the soul. This knowledge is based on the
Matrika Vidyä of the Namokär Mantra, which is the foremost mantra in the Jain
tradition holding much secret knowledge.
Guruji's work in
India was not limited to creating religious harmony among many ethnic groups,
but he had organized and presided over a significant number of World Religions
Conferences.
In 1981, in
order to unite all different Jain sects in North America, the two spiritual
leaders; Gurudev Shri Chitrabhanuji and Acharya Shri Sushil Muniji, along with
various Jain community leaders get together at the Jain Center of Southern
California (JCSC) at Los Angeles. They
agreed to create a non-sectarian Jain umbrella organization known as JAINA
(Jain Associations in North America).
Both the leaders convinced various Jain community leaders of different
sects to be part of this newly created JAINA organization. Hence all Jains are united in America.
Guruji was:
·
Honorary president of the World
Conference of Religions for Peace
·
Director of the Temple of
Understanding
·
Founding member of the Global
Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival
·
President of the Punjab Peace and
Unity Committee
·
President of the Ram Janmabhumi
Babri Masjid Solution Committee
·
Founding member of the Vishwa
Hindu Parishad
These
conferences have adopted many declarations advocating world peace, universal
brotherhood, animal and environmental protection, and above all nonviolence.
Many of these
conferences were attended by highly esteemed individuals, including various
Presidents and Prime Ministers of India.
Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Dr. Rädhäkrishnan, Dr.
Zakir Hussein, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Zail Singh, Rajiv Gandhi, and Indira
Gandhi were amongst them.
Guruji has founded many spiritual organizations which include:
· World Fellowship of Religions
(1950) - Objective - unity among world religions
· Vishwa Ahimsa Sangh (1957)
· Kundalini Science Center -
Objective - scientifically research the mental and physical effects of the
energy awakened through yogic practice
· International Mahavir Jain
Mission (1978) - Objective - to spread the teachings of the Arihantas
·
Arhat Sangh (1979)
· World Jain Congress (1981)
· World Center of Nonviolence
Guruji has
founded many ashrams and centers in the East and West under the International
Mahävir Jain Mission. His main ashram is
Siddhächalam, located in Blairstown, New Jersey. Siddhächalam is the first Jain
pilgrimage place (Tirtha) outside of India, which was established in 1983. It consists of over 108 acres, a campground,
cabins, dining facilities, temples, and much more. It is a true retreat place.
The pilgrims
from around the world continue to be drawn to this magnificent and
distinguished spiritual center in ever increasing numbers.
Siddhächalam is
a resident community for monks and nuns, laymen and laywomen. It is
headquarters for the International Jain Mission, the World Fellowship of
Religions, and the World Jain Congress.
It actively
promotes Ahimsa for world peace, vegetarianism, and nonviolence to animals. The
ashram is a wildlife sanctuary.
In 1982, Guruji
inspired the leaders of eight nations to submit a memorandum demanding peace
through nonviolence to the Secretary General of the United Nations. He explained that peace through nonviolence
could not be compromised or exploited and would ensure the sanctity of human
life as well as extending protection to the animal kingdom, the environment, and
all of our Mother Earth.
Guruji and his
devotees also served as the fourth largest support group for the peace rally
held in New York in 1982, an event that was attended by nearly one million
individuals from around the world.
Guruji
successfully motivated the late Sikh leader Tara Singh to participate in an
open and peaceful dialogue with the government. In 1986, the late Akali leader
Sant Longowal and the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi attempted to solve the
distressing problem plaguing Punjab. This
accomplishment is largely attributed to Guruji who convinced the terrorist
groups of Punjab to honor their compromise with the government.
When Pope John
Paul's visit to India was strongly opposed, Guruji warmly reminded his
countrymen that India has a long-standing tradition of welcoming all
individuals regardless of their denomination or belief.
Guruji
successfully organized a Cow Protection Rally in 1966.
In August of
1989, Guruji was invited to inaugurate and preside over the World Hindu Conference
in Britain. As Hindus regard him as one of their spiritual leaders, they
enthusiastically embraced his notion of Ahimsa (nonviolence) and vowed to join
him in propagating the virtues of meditation, vegetarianism, and unity.
Also, in 1989,
Guruji addressed the World Conference on Religions for Peace in Melbourne,
Australia. He advocated the direct need to protect the animal kingdom and our
natural environment. He explained that all living beings equally share the
right to life.
Guruji persuaded
Muslim leaders to sit in negotiation with Hindu leaders until a consensus was
reached in the Lord Rama's birth place (Janmabhumi) issue popularly known as
Babri Masjid issue in 1990 to 1991 in India.
In 1990, Guruji
was an honored guest at the Global Conference for Human Survival in
Moscow. More than 1200 individuals from
70 countries travelled to the USSR to take part in this historic gathering and
were present to participate in Guruji's meditation and to hear his remarks on
the need for nonviolence. At the conference he met with Mikhail Gorbachev and
discussed the issues related to the establishment of world peace and global
cooperation.
In 1991 he
travelled to Iran in an attempt to persuade Saddam Hussein to adopt a peaceful
resolution to the Gulf Crisis. Although poor roads and the prevailing war
conditions prevented him from entering Iraq, Guruji was widely recognized and
appreciated for his valiant efforts to stop the Gulf war.
In January 1992,
the International Mahävir Jain Mission became affiliated with the United
Nations as an NGO (non-governmental organization). Furthermore, the United
Nations adopted the concept of Ahimsa for the first time in history at the
Sacred Earth Summit in order to protect all forms of life existing in the world
today.
In June 1992,
Guruji addressed the Global Earth Gathering and the Earth Summit, the largest
ever international conference held by the United Nations took place at the Rio
centre in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The World Movement of Nonviolence for Peace
and Environment was launched in Rio with Guruji serving as the founder and
president and Dr. Robert Muller its co-president.
In 1993 Guruji
was also invited to participate in the Global Forum in Kyoto, Japan, where the
International Green Cross was launched with the support of more than 700
delegates from 88 countries. Here he met
Mikhail Gorbachev a second time.
Guruji was very
encouraged by the former Soviet leader's warm response to his visionary of
Ahimsa University (which became affiliated with the United Nations Peace
University in Costa Rica in 1993) and the World Movement of Nonviolence for
Peace and Environment.
In September
1993, Guruji addressed the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago. He addressed the need to embrace non-violence
for all living beings.
In 1993 Guruji's
effort made it possible to prepare two volumes of a Jain Encyclopaedia and soon
to be incorporated into the Hindu Encyclopaedia. This is due to be released by
the publishing house of MacMillan Press.
Also, in 1993
Guruji's effort made it possible to initiate a Jain study program at Columbia
University, one of the oldest and most prestigious academic institutions in the
world. The program had one run in the during his time. He had also planned to
establish a Jain "Chair" at the Toronto University in Canada.
There is hardly
a nation that has not been touched by his efforts and all his life he worked
towards the fulfilment of Guruji's divine purpose.
In today's
world, how many can claim more than five decades of asceticism and self less service
in the name of peace, unity and universal brotherhood? How many individuals
devote themselves entirely to the upliftment of all living beings? Guruji has
done both and yet his work is far from complete. Our Mother Earth continues to
cry in protest of the injustices she is forced to endure animals, birds, trees,
forests, oceans and mountains are suffering in the name of industrial greed.
Everywhere men, women, and children are plagued by hunger, disease, prejudice,
and oppression. Guruji had heard their
cries and understood their anguish.
We should
continue his mission until the entire world is united in a state of Ahimsa.
Excerpts from Guruji's Speeches
On Thought:
Thought is a
force. Thought has unlimited power. You are what you think. Anyone can achieve
complete success by spiritual awareness.
2,500 years ago,
Lord Mahävir gave this perfect truth, "All mankind is one." There is no superiority or inferiority, no
caste or creed, Caucasian or Aryan.
Weather
conditions in various areas may have produced amounts of pigmentation as far as
our skin is concerned, but since our systems of birth and death are the same,
our smiling and weeping are the same, our reactions to pain and pleasure are
similar, and how can we make distinctions by caste, color, or religion? A cow's
skin may be red, white or black but the milk is the same.
On Truth and Spiritual Practice (Sädhanä):
Truth is one,
but there are many aspects and many pathways to that truth. We must become
open-minded. There is so much confusion on the spiritual path because people
think that theirs is the only way, and all other ways are not correct. There is
no one way.
Some people
think SO-HUM practice is the only way to meditate, while others think navel
practice, or third eye center practice is better. All of these are related.
Many spiritual groups promote their gurus as the one true master for this era.
They feel their way is completely separate, unique, and superior. Some say they
are teaching the true Kundalini yoga. Then what are we teaching?
I choose to
teach you all things so that you don't become prejudiced. After that you can
follow one system for practice. For knowledge, you must understand all systems.
On Ideal Community:
In today’s world
man is experimenting with various social and political systems. One system
grants equality (material) but takes away freedom. Another grants freedom but
takes away equality. The Arihanta system grants both freedom and equality in
the material sense and in the highest spiritual sense.
The followers of
the Arihantas work selflessly without profit in mind. They consider themselves only as trustees of
wealth, to protect and distribute it to aid others in a true sense of
brotherhood. My dream is to see our ashram community develop into such a
society of non-violence and non-attachment, always keeping in mind our duty
towards mankind.
Know Thyself:
When asked what
yoga is, Lord Mahävir answered, "performing only one thing at a
time." This way all your actions become yoga.
Mind, body, and
breath should function together. Focus your mind and do one work at a time.
This is meditation.
Know thyself; if
you do not know yourself then how can you know God? Know your body first.
Without the knowledge of body, we can not do anything. Read your body. This is our greatest book of knowledge. Go inside your body. Use breath and sound as a vehicle.
We must reach
unstuck sound and uncreated light. This is the purpose of meditation. By gross
sound one can catch subtle sound. When you catch the divine unstuck sound,
consciousness unfolds, you dissolve, merge, and ultimately you become nothing.
Love Beauty and Action:
Love is
unconditional. Love is perfect. Love selflessly.
Attachment and
attraction are not love. Do not think
about the fruit of your actions, otherwise you will lose everything.
Love is the
first principle. When you feel love then
you can not forget it.
Anywhere you go,
love will inspire you, remind you, and prepare you. Again, and again you will remember it. Love is a beautiful thing.
On Trinity:
The Oxford
spirit of knowledge and learning has been a great tradition in Britain. Today,
I hope we shall give birth to a New Oxford Spirit of compassion, understanding,
tolerance, non-violence, love, and abiding peace.
The symbol of
the trinity is part of many of the world's religions. Let us introduce a new
symbolic trinity of nonviolence, love and freedom. These are the keys to the
survival of humanity and a peaceful future for mankind. (This is taken from
Guruji's address to the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on
Human Survival at Oxford, England.
(April 11-15, 1988)
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The article is
available in the Jain eLibrary at the following link:
Life and Work of Acharya Sushil Muni
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