12.05.2017 ►JAINA ►Newsletter

Jai Jinendra!

JAINA Newsletter is proud to start a series of 50 stories of Shatrunjay hills. The stories are about Tirthankars, historical events, shrines, steps and the architecture at Shatrunjay. You will learn about significant stops on the hills and its relevance. These stories are perfect for all age groups with varying levels of knowledge about Jainism. Thanks to Snehal and Ushma Shah for these beautiful and interesting stories. 

We also bring you a wonderful article by a young Jain girl who has written about her real life experience of growing up in North America. Hope you enjoy and learn from these unique stories and article..

Sincerely,

Ashok Domadia
JAINA President & Chairman

As gold does not cease to be gold even if it is heated in the fire;an enlightened man does not cease to be enlightened onbeing tortured by the effects of karma.

- BhagwanMahavir (Samayasara, 184)

My religious identity; impressions from the eyes of an Indo American Jain Girl

When I was seven I thought Christianity and Jainism were the same religion. My weekly visits to the Jain temple were wedged between daily Bible study classes at school. Every Sunday, I sang stotras and memorized doctrine in my Jain Gyanshala class on my path to perfect harmony. The next day, I’d recite the Lord’s Prayer and sing, “Jesus Loves Me” in my Bible class as a continuation of my religious lessons. Every now and then, I’d confuse my teachers by using Jesus and Mahavira interchangeably. In class, I’d think about how Mahavira finally achieved moksha after dying on the cross and how Jesus practiced vegetarianism. I was switching so constantly between Gyanshala and Bible study that the two religions eventually intermingled until I couldn’t tell the difference. As I grew older, I began to recognize the distinctions between Christianity and Jainism. Instead of a single religion, I began to see Christianity and Jainism separately. My understanding of each religion became more complex as I studied more of their teachings. I was rattled when chapel services of a heavenly afterlife started conflicting with Gyanshala’s lessons on moksha and reincarnation. Daily Bible classes overpowered weekly visits to the temple. My confusion threatened the stability of my seemingly sturdy religious foundation. The more I studied, the more I compared the two: Jesus vs. Mahavira, sin vs. karma, and Christmas vs. Diwali. Eventually, the minute details, rather than the core teachings, defined the religions themselves. The Baptist school life and the Jain family life became oil and water; they just didn’t mix. For years, I struggled to reconcile the two. I teetered between one and the other: Christian at school and Jain at home. To my family, I was the poster child for the devout Jain daughter, unwavering in her faith. To my friends, I was the convert Christian, sharing their beliefs.

This series of Shatrunjay stories is about Tirthankars, historical events, shrines etc which will tell us about significant stops on the Shatrunjay hills related to Adinath, his sons Bharat & Bahubali, Neminath's cancelled wedding, Ravan/Mandodari's dance and more. In this newsletter, we will learn about the 1st story, 'Introduction of Shatrunjay and Mokshdwar'.

Click to read story & listen to an amazing audio click in or .

We have covered types of Bahyantar Tap in past newsletters and now we start with types of Abhyantar Tap. Abhyantar tap means that which cannot be seen externally as they are mainly related to mind. Abhyantar tap is also of six types;

In Prayaschhit, one repents for various errors of commission and omission, the faults and the sins committed knowingly or unknowingly and it should be done before Guru Maharaj or if Guruji is not there, then this can be done alone also by saying ‘MichchhaMiDukkadam’. Prayachhit help us to reflect upon ourselves in a way that leads to self correction. It is a process of improving mental, emotional and spiritual health. According to jainDarshan, Prayaschhit is of 10 types;

Enjoy photos and brief description of beautiful Inter-faith Temples around the world by clicking link below:

to see world's beautiful Temples.

The karma particles that get bound with the soul become a part of the karmic body, which accompanies the soul even in the future births.

The duration of the karmic particles to be bonded with the soul is decided by the intensity of our desires at the time of the activity. The milder the intensity, the shorter is the duration of the bondage of the karmas. The stronger the intensity, the longer is the bondage of the karmas. The time karma stay bonded to the soul range from a fraction of a second to an innumerable number of seconds.

JAINA has launched JAINA Mangalam App 3 weeks ago and has received an overwhelming response. This app gives you an opportunity to listen and watch programmers of your interest at your convenience. The app has a variety of programs from Stavans, Stories, and Lectures to videos and is unilateral for all sects of Jainism. If you have not yet downloaded this app, please do so once and we are sure you will definitely enjoy and learn more about our religion