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Personal Perspectives of Members on Impact of Jain Center in Their Lives
Digish Shah, age 17
On July 2nd, 1988, my dad woke me up early out of bed. I was about seven years old then, and I didn't really know what was going on. I asked my father what the matter was, and he told me that the new "Jain Center" had opened and that it could be like a "second home" to me. Still not knowing exactly what that meant, I got out of bed and simply followed him.
Since that day, the first thing that truly made the Jain Center of Southern California a part of my life was the religious classes (JCYC) that were being held there. In the beginning, I would hesitantly pack my notebooks and go, but as time passed, I found that JCYC was a great place for learning. Jainism and its fundamentals were taught to me, from the basics to the applications in life; the Gujarati language was brought to my attention, from the alphabet to putting words together and understanding them; periodically, JCYC would organize skits and dramas, and I took an active part in almost all of them. As I have grown throughout the years, the JCYC itself has grown, from being a loose collection of seminars to becoming one of the most organized councils of the Jain Center.
And while I was attending JCYC, I was meeting new people. I remember the first person I had met through the Jain Center... We used to dislike each other! But as the years went by, we became really good friends - and I've met and made friends with many other wonderful people. Working on dramas or presentations, cooperating on the youth councils, or just "hanging-out" in the parking lot - wherever I was at Jain Center, it provided to me an excellent place to meet friends who I will cherish for a lifetime.
Ten years after that day in July of 1988, now that I'm seventeen years-old, know exactly what my father was talking about. In a way, the Jain Center has grown to be my "second home." I always felt like I was part of the Jain "family".. . I grew-up with those people, I took parts in the "family" events, and I've come to know many friends whom I may call my own "brothers" and "sisters. For that, the Jain Center has played a positive role in my life- it was the only educational center where I could learn about my religion, it was the only religious haven where I could experience events such as Paryushana with other people, it was the only theater where it was possible to perform Jain-related presentations and skits- but most importantly, it was and will continue to be my "second home."
I have plans to practice and promote Jainism in the future. I plan to overcome all the
obstacles in the way. -Suken Jain (16)
Jain Education Intemational
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| SR No. | 528132 |
| Book Title | Jain Center Los Angeles CA 1998 07 10th Anniversary of Jain Bhavan |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Jain Center So CA Los Angeles |
| Publisher | USA Jain Center Southern California |
| Publication Year | 1998 |
| Total Pages | 150 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Magazine, USA_Souvenir Jain Center CA So Los Angeles, & USA |
| File Size | 5 MB |