23.08.2017 ►JAINA ►Special Newsletter: Paryushan Day 6

Jai Jinendra!

Today being 6th Day of Parvadhiraj Paryushan, many of us must have started fasting from today with goal of completing Atham. Lot of Anumodna to all of you.

Please send names and details of Tapasvis so we can publish in forthcoming newsletters.

Warm Regards,
Gunvant Shah
JAINA President
08-23-2017

QUOTE

If one's vision is capable of expelling the darkness, he would not need a lamp. Likewise, the soul itself being blissful, there is no need of external object for bliss.

- Bhagwan Mahavir

WHERE THERE’S ATTACHMENT, THERE’S REBIRTH

The Eternal Lord shows the people of the world how to get rid of all the pains and move towards happiness. From time immemorial, we have had many rebirths. Even after we have come here, we have not got rid of the ignorance from ourselves. This has led to the attachment and we have been moving from one place to another like a bull.

We get rebirth as a human being after we gather the good deeds of millions of births. But
what is the value of each minute of this?
How have we spent these minutes?

We have to remove all the bad cultural influences which have ingrained on us since time immemorial. A person who is ignorant is unhappy at all times. Even if he is not facing any trouble, the expectation of sadness in the future will make him unhappy. The moment there is a slight indication of fever, thoughts start racing his mind, and “will it be malaria, what if it is typhoid! I hope and pray that it is not dengue!” In this manner, before the arrival of sadness, the person becomes unhappy. Even when there is sadness, he could be happy all time. If there is a plaster on his broken foot for 15 days and the doctor asked him to take rest and not to go out, he would start worrying in his mind, how will I survive if I close my shop for 15 days? If he is not well and no one at home asks his wellness, then also he is worried. If no one asks him to visit the doctor or reminds him to take medicine, then also he is worried! And he would remember all the sorrows and troubles of the past and will be sad and unhappy.

The reason of all the unhappiness, grief, sorrow, sadness, misery, discontent in life is an accumulation of all the deeds which we have done in the past. Once you start living your life with understanding, you will get mutual peace and tranquility. If you leave ignorance behind, you will get peace. Make your life bloom like a pretty flower. No matter where the flower is, it is liked by every person. You will like the perfume of the flower, but you will not like the thorns.

What should you reap?
Bitter gourd or grapes?
A tree full of thorns or a mango tree?
Make your life sweet and charming where ever you are living. This will give you eternal peace.

SAMVATSARI PRATIKRAMAN RITUAL

This article explains purpose and meaning of the traditional Samvatsari Pratikraman ritual of Swetambar Murtipujak Jain Community. This ritual takes 3.0 hours or more to complete.

In this article, an effort has been to explain each step of the ritual. First, it divides this long ritual into several sections and explain the purpose of each section. In the second step, it lists the corresponding Sutras, Vidhi and the brief meaning of the Sutra to reflect upon when such Sutras are recited.

You can view and download the pdf file of the complete article using the following link.