18.03.2017 ►JAINA ►Newsletter

Jai Jinendra!

Thanks for your outstanding participation on JAINA’s page and . As a result, we now have over 5,000 Likes on and more than 7,000 users on in last 2 years. JAINA is steadily growing on as well. Please participate in your favorite social media platform, if not participating yet, for latest global Jain Community news and religious discussions.

Live 360-degree Virtual Yatra of 5 Jain Centers across USA is available for your convenience from comfort of your home. Please .

Kindly provide your feedback on JAINA Newsletters and JAINA activities at . Your valuable feedback helps us ensure we meet your expectations.

Sincerely,

Ashok Domadia
JAINA President & Chairman

Those who hanker after pleasure,those who are attached to or seized by passions and are obstinate, can not know the nature of samadhi (self-concentration).

- BhagwanMahavir (Sutrakrtanga)

Mahavir Swami is the 24th Tirthankar of the Avsarpani kaal. He was born to King Siddharth and Queen Trishala Devi. He attained nirvana at Pavapuri and had 11 Gandhars. He took 27 bhavs after Samyak Darshan to attain moksh. The topic of his first sermon was causes of bondage of karmas.

The causes of karmic bondage –in the order they are required to be eliminated by soul for the spiritual progress.

1) MITHYATVA- the deluded world view is the misunderstanding as to how this world really functions on account of one-sided perspective, irrational skepticism, pointless generalizations and ignorance.
2) AVIRTI- is the inability to refrain voluntarily from the evil actions that harms oneself and others.
3) PRAMADA- this is the third cause of bondage of karma. It means lack of enthusiasm towards acquiring merit and spiritual growth and improper action of mind, body and speech without any regards to oneself or others.
4) KASHAYA- keep the soul immersed in the darkness of delusion leading to deluded conduct and unending cycle of reincarnations.
5) YOGA- The threefold activities of mind, body and speech attract and bind karmas when such actions are influenced by passions.

According to the Jain theory of karma, lesya is the colouring of soul, it varies from person to person depending on the psychic states and mental activities behind an action.

KRISHNA LESYA- The person in this condition, does not show compassion or mercy. Everyone is afraid of them as their anger turns into violence. They always burn with jealousy and have ill-will for everyone. They are filled with animosity and malice and do not believe in religion. This state of mind is always the worst and most dangerous. If anyone dies in this state of mind, they will go to hell.

Krishna lesya is black. It has a stench that is worse than that of a dead dog. This unpleasant smell is situated deep within that person. The taste of Krishna lesya is far bitterer than the taste of Neem. Its touch is infinitely harsher than the touch of a cow’s tongue.

Colour plays an important role in an individual’s life and has great influences on the conscious and subconscious mind and on a person’s emotions. Smell and touch also affect us, but the impact of colour is higher.

KAPOT LESYA- people in this state of mind, always remain sad and gloomy. They find faults in others boast about themselves, become excited over small matters and lack mental balance. If anyone dies in this state of mind, they will be reborn as animal or birds. The taste of kapot lesya is more astringent than unripe mango. The touch of Kapot lesya is worst than that of a sword.

In the streets of Polaspur, a six year old child named Aimutta was playing with a few friends. He was the son of King Vijay and Queen Shrimati. While playing around, he saw a monk, Gautamswami, bare-foot and bald, who was out getting alms (food). Aimutta ran to him and invited him to come to his home to get food, which would make his mother and him happy. Gautamswami agreed and they left to go to the castle. Aimutta's mother, Queen Shrimati was standing in the balcony overlooking the garden. She saw Gautamswami and Aimutta coming to her place. She was very happy and came down to receive Gautamswami. She welcomed him…

Jain center of British Columbia recently held Palitana Bhav Yatra. Please see the beautiful pictures below:

The Jain Center of Southern California (JCSC) located in Buena Park, California is a non-profit religious organization to pursue a goal of practicing, promoting and preserving the Jain religion. It is governed by a constitution and managed by Board of Directors and an Executive Committee. We would like to thank everyone and the Sarva Mangal Family Trust for coordinating the Google 360o Virtual Yatra for the Jain Center of Southern California.

What is a Virtual Yatra (Tour)?
What is Virtual Yatra? It’s a great Google Tour that both Jains and Non-Jains can view worldwide - shows magnificent carvings, writings, and details. You can zoom in and out, rotate up and down, see multiple levels, and or walk from one end of Jain Center to another.

Please view the Google 360o Virtual Tour by clicking the below images

Kids’ Club (Ages 6-13) The primary goal of Kids’ Club is to provide a safe, healthy, well-supervised, and fun environment for all children ages 6- 13. The Kids Club program provides opportunities for each child to be involved in self-directed and group activities. Past activities have included magic shows, science shows, Masterminds International sessions, shake-and-make vegan ice cream, face painting, and more. Kids’ Club runs alongside other sessions, with the option for parents to pick up their children as needed. You must register your child for Convention and also register them for Kids Club to be eligible to participate.

Please write an essay on your understanding of Leshya and how it plays a role in our Spiritual life.

The best experience will get published in our newsletter and at . Please send your article to by 21st January, 2017. 

Rules:
1. Age: No bar
2. Articles should be in English language and maximum 300 words long in a word file.
3. Writing style must be clear and easy to understand.
4. Please write your name, address and phone number along with the essay.
5. Essay is welcomed from anywhere in the world.

Read below story of True Wood Cutter and find highlighted words in puzzle.

There was a poor man named Mangal. In the day he would cut wood and in the evening he would go to the market with the wood. After selling the wood, with the money earned he could go to the grocery to purchase some things for his house. He was satisfied with his income. One day he went to the forest to cut wood and climbed a tree at the river bank. While he was cutting the branch, his axe fell into the river. Mangal came down from the tree and jumped into the river to find his axe, but he did not find his axe. He was very sad and cried. He had no money to buy another axe and it was difficult for him to feed his family without any money.

The Goddess of the forest took pity on him and went towards him and said, "Why are you crying my son?" Mangal said, "My axe fell into the water and how shall I do my work now?" The Goddess said, "Do not weep, I will bring your axe from the river". So the Goddess jumped into the river and came out with a gold axe. She asked Mangal is this your axe? Mangal said," No this is not my axe. I am a poor man so how I can have gold axe?" The Goddess again jumped into the river and came out with a silver axe and asked him," Is this your axe?" But Mangal replied, "No this is not my axe." The Goddess jumped into the river for third time and came out with an iron axe. Now Mangal was very happy because it was his very own axe. The Goddess also became happy with Mangal truthfulness. The Goddess said," I am very happy with your honesty and because of that you can take the gold and the silver axe too. Now Mangal was not poor but rich.

Content source: www.jainworld.com

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