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| Samani Prasanna Pragya | Samani Vikas Pragya |
We were very happy to have the Samanijis here in Switzerland to help develop our spiritual side. We had to split their days here between Zurich, Bern and Geneva. We realised that more time is needed for Zurich and Bern as the Jain community in these two areas are fairly active in practising Jainism.
In Zurich, they were hosted by Nitesh and Varsha Gandhi and family. Nitesh organised a workshop in a small meeting room where around 25 people participated. The main part of the workshop was on 2 of the 6 Avashyaks, which was followed by a Q/A session. Samanijis then finished with a session of meditation.
Jains and non-Jains attending the workshop
Samanijis giving a talk
Practising meditation
Professor Frank Neubert, of Bern University, who teaches Religious studies and is going to teach a module on Jainism this September, took the opportunity to meet with the Samanijis. He attended Zurich, Bern and one afternoon session in Geneva. He was able to understand more about the subject he's going to teach and also made contact with the Jain community of Switzerland.
Professor Frank Neubert with Samaniji and Mr Basant Raj Bhandari
The next day, Sunday 7th, Samanijis went on to Bern to the home of Subhash and Madhu Patil, where they had organised another session of talks. This talk was attended by 15 people. The event was very successful and a lot of interest was shown in both places asking for longer sessions in the years to come. They later on came down to Geneva in the evening of 7th.
Samani Vikas Pragya Ji reciting Bhajan
Samani Vikas Pragya Ji leading breathing exercise
Q/A session with Samani Prasanna Pragya Ji
In Geneva, they were as usual hosted by Mr and Mrs Basant Raj Bhandari, during the week and other Jains on the weekend. During the afternoons, Samaniji had sessions on stress and pain management through yoga and meditation for a group of ladies. These sessions were well attended by 8-15 ladies. In the evenings, we had workshops on the 6 Avashyaks. These workshops were very much appreciated by those who attended. On average, we had 10-15 people attending each session, Jains and non-Jains too. Each session started with meditation and finished with a Bhajan and Mangal Path.
Meditation
The conclusion is that we need the Samanijis to come for a longer period for Zurich and Bern combined and still for a week to Geneva. Hope this can be organised in two separate periods for next year.
As reported by SwissJains