01.09.2016 ►JAINA ►Special Newsletter - Paryushan Day 3 @ HereNow4U

Federation Of Jain Associations in North America

President's Message

Jai Jinendra! Today is the third day of Parvadhiraj Paryushan Parva and many Shravak and Shravikas will be completing Atham (3 Upvas). Hope all are in sukh shata. Let us find the true essence of happiness and contentment during this festival and thus rise to a new level of living. Sincerely, Ashok Domadia JAINA President Chairman - JAINA BOD

GATHA FROM JIV VICHAR

In this stanza, the second type of sthavara jiva i.e. Apkaya jiva are defined and explained.

APKAYA: Apkaya jiva are living beings that have water (in any form) as their own bodies, also known as water bodies.

The possible forms of water bodies are stated below:
1. Water of well, reservoirs, ponds, lakes, river, sea and other sources of water
2. Rainwater
3. Other forms are dew, ice, hailstones, fog, mist, etc
4. Ghanodahi.e. athick layerof water below every earth and some heavenly bodies
5. Water oozing out of plants and leaves
6. All other forms of water are also categorized as water bodies

Quote - Paryushan Day 3

Fight with yourself, why fight with external foes? He, who conquers himself through himself, will obtain happiness. himself, will obtain happiness.

- Bhagwan Mahavir

PARYUSHAN Day 3

On this earth, everyone is in search of happiness. Everyone has their own wishes and all the activities are done to fulfill those wishes. May it be doing business or a job. It is very important to know the fact that the happiness found by us is temporary and not permanent. Buying a new car may make someone happy for the time being, but that same car will give him/her problems when it gets old and needs repairs and service. So an obvious question arises now. If all these things aren’t real happiness, then what is real happiness?
Once a person had lost his watch and he began to search it. Even the neighbors came to assist him. He searched it all along the street, in the garden near the house and the places that he had lasted visited. After some time, one of the neighbors asked him if he had checked his own house and to the neighbors shock he hadn’t checked his own house. Being a little shocked, they asked him the reason and he replied that his house had no light and so it wasn’t possible for him to find the watch there. The neighbor replied and tried to explain to him that what is lost in the house should be searched in the house and not elsewhere. It is not possible for anyone to find the limit of the sky in the horizon. That will be mere wandering and wastage of time. One cannot be afraid of the darkness within each and search happiness outside. Similarly one can find real happiness only in oneself and not outside. It is the simplicity and purity of the soul that will give the real happiness and not the worldly pleasures or any kind of materialistic things. This inner happiness is permanent and far better than the happiness derived from the worldly pleasures, which is temporary.

The soul can be purified only by keeping the mind and the heart clean. Keeping the thought process clean and converting those pure thoughts into actions. Following the religious rites daily would help the soul to get purer and will free the mind from all kinds of evil thoughts. from all kinds of evil thoughts.

Useful Links:

Pratikraman Introduction in English: Pratikraman Explanation of Ritual in English: