$JES 106 My Jain Values Journal

Author(s): Pratiksha Shah, JAINA Education Committee
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee
Catalog link: https://jainqq.org/explore/000111/1

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My Jain Values Journal
Education
TAINA E
Series
106
.. Leads to Lin
Liberation
Right Conduct ...
सम्यग्दर्शन सम्यग्ज्ञान सम्यक्चारित्राणि मोक्षमार्गः
ght Convict 10
• Right Knowledge
JAINA Education Committee. The Federation of Jain Associations in North America
परस्परोपवहीं जीवानाम Compassionate Living

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My Jain Values Journal
Kindness
Respect
Being
Soul
Compassion
Love
a Jain 24/7
Journey towards a Happy and Peaceful Life
Applying Jain values into day-to-day Life
Compiled By: Pratiksha Shah
Jaina Education Committee

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My Jain Values Journal – Draft Copy Applying Jain Values into day-to-day life
Jaina Education Series (JES 106) 1st Edition August 2018
ISBN 10 digit: 1-59406-010-X ISBN 13 digit: 978-1-59406-010-6
This book has No Copyright
for private, personal, and non-commercial use only Please use religious material respectfully and for nonprofit purposes.
Compiled by:
Online Purchase Info
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Pratiksha Shah Pravin K. Shah (Chairperson) JAINA Education Committee 509 Carriage Woods Circle Cary, NC 27513 USA Tele -919-859-4994 Email - jainaedu@gmail.com Website -
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Prologue
The purpose of this book and the teaching approach is to instill core Jain Values in young children that will help them to live a happy, peaceful life and enable spiritual growth at an early age. This book outlines various opportunities/challenges for children to practice their Jain values and see how it can be applied in daily life. My hope is that as the young ones grow up and encounter various people, situations and events unfolds in their lives, they will have a way to find comfort, inner peace and answers to their questions. They will have an approach to think about people, life events, materialistic things, achievements, success and to live a confident, loving, kind, compassionate and happy life.
Whatever I'm today is because of my parents - Kunja Shah and Pravin Shah. I'm very grateful for their love, understanding, their approach to life and religion, and the lessons I learned from their life events. Our parents taught us Jainism in a way that it developed a great amount of respect and love for the religion. It was always taught as a very internal religion and it was about how it is helping you and making you better. So, when I had my own children, my goal was simple - pass on what I learned and serve as much as I can.
My inspirations are my children - Ariha, Naimik, Riaan and all my pathshala students. I'm very thankful for the opportunity that I got to serve as a pathshala teacher. All the material in this book went through multiple tests - first it was my own logic and experience, second was my daughter Ariha and then all the pathshala students. I couldn't have done this without my family and especially my sister Krupali Shah, who always believed in me and my husband Binoy Shah, who was always there for me.
I have complied information from many sources and the thoughts in the book are just my perspectives/my understanding. If there is anything incorrect then it is unintentional and I ask for forgiveness - Micchami Dukkadam
This book is a work in progress and if you have any feedback then please do let me know. Also, if there is anything I can help with please feel free to reach out to me at pratiksha.shah@outlook.com.
My Jain Valugs Journal

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Acknowledgements
I want to thank Pravin Shah from Raleigh, NC for his guidance, teachings, willingness to answer all my questions, and seeing the potential in this book. I want to thank Anita Parikh from CT who has provided tremendous support, inspiration, and ideas for this book
I want to thank all the children of pathshala for giving me the opportunity to learn with them and serve as their teacher. I want to thank to Pinal Majmudar for starting the Jain temple in VA and it is because of that I even got the opportunity to teach at pathshala. I want to thank Shruti Doshi and Dhaval Sanghvi for co-teaching the pathshala classes and being on this journey with me and thanks to Sonal Nawab, Palak Jasani, Dipti Chhadwa and all the parents of pathshala for their encouragement, support and ideas.
Thanks to Pravin Shah, Anita Parikh, Kalpesh Shah and Prerak Shah for reviewing the content and providing feedback. Formatting for the book was a major task and couldn't have done it without Pravin uncle's and Anita ben's help. Thank you!
Thanks to Nipun Mehta and the opportunity to attend one his Awakin Circle that provided inspirations and ideas that, I have been able to incorporate in the pathshala classes and this book.
There are numerous people who have directly and indirectly contributed towards this book in many ways and my heartfelt thanks to all of them.
With deep gratitude Pratiksha Shah
Jaina Education Committee
August 2018
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Table of Contents
Prologue......
Acknowledgements
My Jain Values Journal..
Challenge: Ahimsa
Challenge: Kindness.
Challenge: Being Grateful / Thankful
Challenge: Helping Others
Challenge: Being Happy - Let's Make a Pact
Challenge: Aparigraha...
Challenge: Karma.
Challenge: Truthfulness.
Challenge: Forgiveness
Challenge: Compassion.
Challenge: Random Acts of Kindness
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3
4
6
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
2 2 2 2
21
23
25
27

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My Jain Values Journal
Please use this book in conjunction with the "Being a Jain 24/7 - Journey Towards a Happy and Peaceful Life".
Purpose
The purpose of this book is to help young children understand and internalize the basic Jain values
Goals
Practice/Apply these values into their day-to-day life and write about it in this journal
Recommended Approach:
Talk about one Jain Value per class during the "Jain Value of the Day" topic
After the class, assign one challenge as homework and ask students to write about their thoughts, examples, ideas, experiences and how it makes them feel
During the class, students talk about how they practiced the Jain Value during each class during the "Circle of Sharing" topic
At the end of the year, each student will have journal about their Jain values, what it means to them, and how they applied the values in their daily life
Teach Jainism in a positive way so that it doesn't become a negative connotation (don't do this/that, don't eat this/that) religion
Teach what we can do - Jainism is about peace, love, happiness, compassion, morality, ethics
Teach Jainism in a way that it enables and provides positive reinforcements towards moral, ethical and compassionate lifestyle
Provide our children with the tools (Jain values) to do the Right thing in their daily life at home, school, work, neighborhood, community etc.
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Challenge: Ahimsa
Ahimsa is not just about what not to do but also what we can do. Our thoughts and intentions are most important when we practice Ahimsa. It is about not hurting my-self or any living being with our thoughts, words and actions. It is also about having compassion, kindness, care and love for all living beings.
What does Ahimsa mean to you? How did you practice Ahimsa? And how did it make you feel?
Write your thoughts, examples, ideas, experiences and how it made you feel:
Date:
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Challenge: Ahimsa Draw a picture
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Challenge: Kindness
Kindness is about being considerate, compassionate, friendly, treating others the way you wanted to be treated, and bringing smiles to others. We should look for opportunities to practice kindness and never miss an opportunity to be kind or compassionate.
What does kindness mean to you? Share an example of someone being kind to you and/or you being kind to someone. And how did it make you feel?
Write your thoughts, examples, ideas, experiences and how it made you feel:
Date:
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Challenge: Kindness Draw a picture
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Challenge: Being Grateful/ Thankful
There is so much that we can be grateful / thankful for. It can be big things like eyes, ears, legs, hands, food, parents, family or small things like beautiful weather or someone holding a door for you and anything else you can think of.
Being grateful is about acknowledging what we are blessed with, appreciating other's help and being humble for things we have but others don't have
What are you grateful for? How can you use everything that you are blessed with to do the right things?
Write your thoughts, examples, ideas, experiences and how it made you feel:
Date:
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Challenge: Being Grateful / Thankful Draw a picture
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Challenge: Helping Others
Helping others is doing something for someone that they are not able to do it alone or wants to share the fun of doing it. It can be something you did at school, home, outside... It can be something with family, friends, or someone you do not even know.
Share examples of how you have helped someone and/or how someone has helped you? And how did it make you feel?
Write your thoughts, examples, ideas, experiences and how it made you feel:
Date:
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Challenge: Helping Others Draw a picture
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Challenge: Being Happy - Let's Make a Pact ☺
We all agree that we always like to be Happy. We also agree that Happiness is Our Choice and Our Decision. So, let us make a Pact today that we will be happy for next two weeks no matter what.
It is our choice and we have decided to be happy. It does not mean that we won't take action but we won't let it affect our happiness / inner peace.
Write your thoughts, examples, ideas, experiences and how it made you feel:
Date:
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Challenge. Being Happy - Let's Make a Pact ☺ Draw a picture
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Challenge: Aparigraha
Aparigraha is being non-possessive about feelings and materialistic things. This value applies to our thoughts, words and actions. To learn and practice Aparigraha during the week, ask yourself following questions:
• Am I collecting things that I don't need?
Am I hanging onto my feelings of anger, sadness and frustration? Am I wasting anything - food, water, electricity?
Did I buy something that I don't really need? Some ways to practice Aparigraha - If you get one new toy then consider donating one of your existing toys. Consider donating time, efforts, money... it can be in any form of giving, instead of collecting. What does Aparigraha mean to you? How did you practice Aparigraha? And how did it make you feel?
Write your thoughts, examples, ideas, experiences and how it made you feel:
Date:
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Challenge: Aparigraha
Draw a picture
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Challenge: Karma
Our thoughts, words and actions results into Karma. Karma is just an end result and our focus/emphasis should be on our thoughts, words and actions. We are master of our own destiny. We should always strive for good thoughts, words and actions and it can be simple things like:
Being polite - saying hi, thank you, smiling
• Inviting a new kid at school to play with you
Sharing toys, being kind, helping at home and anyone in need
Respecting others, Thinking good thoughts
Any Action that brings a smile on other person's face
Community service, Protecting the Environment
Share examples of your good thoughts, good words, and good actions. Write your thoughts, examples, ideas, experiences and how it made you feel:
•
·
·
•
Date:
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Challenge: Karma
Draw a picture
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Challenge: Truthfulness
Truthfulness is about being honest with ourselves first and foremost. We should always speak truth. There can be situations, small or big, when we might feel that speaking untruth is easy, but it is never the right choice. People stop trusting us and we get bad karmas.
Think about what Trust and Honesty mean to you and how would you feel if someone lied to you.
Did any situation come up when you had to choose whether to say the truth or lie? Did you practice Truthfulness in that situation? How did speaking truth make you feel?
Write your thoughts, examples, ideas, experiences and how it made you feel:
Date
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Challenge; Truthfulness
Draw a picture
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Challenge: Forgiveness
Forgiveness is about being kind to ourselves first and foremost. When we hold on to hurt, anger, or bad thoughts about anyone within us then we are hurting ourselves first.
Throughout the day we come across many situations that makes us upset, unhappy, sad, angry or bring tears. It could be because of something someone did or said or didn't do but instead of staying upset at that person, we will practice forgiveness. It can be any situation at home or school or neighborhood or anywhere.
These situations can occur due to our own past karma and now we can use our freewill/choice to decide what we want to do. Forgiveness doesn't mean we don't take action. We Respond and Take Action but without anger, blame, fear, negativity, or hurt within us...
Did anything happen that made you feel upset/angry? Did you practice forgiveness in that situation? What thoughts helped you forgive someone? How did forgiving someone make you feel?
Write your thoughts, examples, ideas, experiences and how it made you feel:
Date:
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Challenge: Forgiveness
Draw a picture
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Challenge: Compassion
Send silent good wishes in your heart to everyone you come across.
Practice kindness/caring with everyone on your challenge days. Whether it is your family, friends, someone you see at school, someone you see on streets or stores, people you know, people you don't know. Wish everyone well in your heart -- no matter how rude or nice they may be. Parents help kids by giving them examples of good wishes they can send.
Who did you send good wishes to? What kind of good wishes did you send? How did sending good wishes silently make you feel and how did it change your day?
Write your thoughts, examples, ideas, experiences and how it made you feel:
Date:
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Challenge: Compassion Draw a picture
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Challenge: Random Acts of Kindness
For this week, we will practice another Jain value - Kindness. Practicing kindness brings us closer to our true nature - who we really are. Let's do small random acts of kindness.
It can be any act that makes someone smile. Smile at everyone you see. Practice kindness/caring with everyone - whether it is your family, friends, someone at school, someone you see on streets or stores, people you know, people you don't know.
Share examples of how you practiced kindness. How did it make you feel?
Write your thoughts, examples, ideas, experiences and how it made you feel:
Date:
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Challenge: Random Acts of Kindness Draw a picture
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GANGGU Discipline of speech consists of refraining from telling lies and in observing silence - Mulachar The enlightened complete that the soul is endowed with boundless energy - Niyamsar That by which we know the truth, control the restless mind, and purify the soul is called knowledge - Mulachar 5/70