25.12.2015 ►JCSC ►Weekly News

I.   Claremont School of Theology - A class offered to Graduate students from September to December 2015. There are 5 students who are taught by our community teacher Mrs. Sushama Parekh. Students, Associate Dean and the President visited JCSC and students have been back a couple of times. There were 15 classes, 3 hours each on Tuesday evenings. 

II.   Loyola Marymount University - Professor Nirinjan Khalsa was hired by combined sponsorship with Sikh community to teach Jain class for 50% and Sikh class for other 50%. There are 25 students and you read comments from 3 of them below. They have also organized a conference in February from our support on the role of Music in Jain and Sikh Religion. 

III.  San Diego State University - We will start a class for Jain Religion under Indian Religions from undergraduate students from January 2016. Our community teacher Mrs. Kokila Doshi will teach this class. We hope to have 30 or more students take this class. Like JCSC Jain Society of San Diego has taken the responsibility to support the course.

IV. Shri Parshvnath Presidential Chair in Jain Studies - Donors Drs. Jasvant & Meera Modi and family and Mr. Rajesh (Raju) & Neeta Shah and family have signed the guarantee for this chair's commitment. Mr. Harshad and Mrs. Raksha Shah and family have joined them with pledges. Chair is expected to be hired by September 2016. 

"Through my experiences, my life has actually changed quite a bit. I have learned to appreciate life in a way that I had never been able to before. I take care whenever I notice something alive. I have changed my view towards everything living and now hold a high respect for every soul. I no longer dispose of insects in my rooms the same way I usually did. I have tried to simply remove insects instead of destroying them. I also unconsciously watch where I walk when I am outside and watch where I sit. In these simple ways, I have learned to enjoy life in ways that I have never been able to before. Another large change my experiences have had on me has been my diet. I actually rarely have meat during lunch any more. Especially when I visit the cafeteria at school, I always go right over to the salad bar to make something different. I have made a different number of salads and I have enjoyed most of them. It allows me to add a sense of creativity to my day as well. I have freedom to do whatever I want with my salad and it can give me a sense of freedom. I have come to appreciate many different things through these experiences."

"The entire semester my own opinions, beliefs, and experiences have been influenced by the Jainism curriculum that the class has provided.  Before taking the class, I did not foresee it making such an impact on my daily life today.  I can proudly say that at the end of this class I have integrated the lessons and teachings of Jainism learned in class into my own life.  Prior to taking the class I had no opinion and little knowledge regarding the religion, however the class has opened up new doors sparking a newfound curiosity into the religion. "

"No matter the religion, there is always something that can be learned and applied in your life, and in the current state of the world I can see why the Jains would be encouraging others to practice ahimsa and other Jain values. I have started applying some of these values in my own life such as vegetarianism, and a more conscious awareness and understanding of others around me in the hopes of becoming a better person. I feel that this is part of the reason that the school requires theology courses in their core requirements. I also feel like I gave gained a basic understanding of Jainism to the point where I could have an engaged discussion with someone on the topic."