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Scholarsandspeakers were invitedto give lecturesatourJainCenter.
Each speakerwasrequestednottomake anyderogatorycommentsregarding
other religions. We also requested them, not to make any divisive remarks
about other sects within Jainism, no matter what sect they came from and
howeverstrongly they felt about their particular sect. The reason wasthat
many people from otherreligions and other Jain sects attended our lectures
with the view oflearning something from the lectures. We did not wish to
hurttheirfeelings directly or indirectly. In addition, we wanted ourchildren
to experience the richness ofour religion and carry Jainism forward in the
future without confusing them with different sects and losing interest in
religionaltogether.
5. Promote Children's Awareness Towards Jainism: It was
recognized that children growing up inAmericansociety have a questioning
mind so they needed to be appealed in a logical mannerin order to get them
interested in Jainism. Children's committee was formed for this purpose.
Niru Kothari & Dr. Dinesh Shahtookthe initiative forthe activities. Itwasa
tallorder. Ithadtocultivatetomorrow's leaderswhowouldcarrythetorchof
Jainism forwardandforthemtohaveanidentityasJain.
6. Worship: It was recognized that in order to have a building forthe
Jain Center there would haveto be a focal point such as Lord Mahavir's idol
and acoupleofotheridols. Itwas decided thatwe would notplaceemphasis
on howthe idols are worshipped. We would let our members carry on
different ways of worshipping. The Committee would step in only for
cleanliness, order and administrative functions. We would notcall idols as
Shwetamber or Digamber. The open eye-idolis called desna mudra where
Lord Mahavir is communicating with audience with open eyes. The closed
eye (or halfclosed, nasagra)-idol is called dhyanasth mudra. To call open
eye-mudra as Shwetamberandto call closed eye-mudra as Digamberis the
same as improperly saying that Lord Mahavir's messageis only for certain
Jains incertainpositionortosaythatGandhiji belongstoonlyGujaratis.
The purpose ofworshipIs to progressively attain higher level forthe
soul, not to be mired in the divisive thinking. Committee would step in and
correct any situation ifit felt that divisive tendencies were beginning to
surface. Committee is to resist and reverse divisive situation that can very
easily sneak under the cloak ofworshipping. This can destroy the founding
principlesofourJainCenter. Allthemoniesreceivedfromworshipactivities
would go intocommonfundunlessspecifiedbythedonor.
7. PromoteandPreserveJainTeachingand Literature: Itwas
| SR No. | 528142 |
| Book Title | Jain Center Los Angeles CA 2009 07 Historical Perspectives of JAINA |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Jain Center So CA Los Angeles |
| Publisher | USA Jain Center Southern California |
| Publication Year | 2009 |
| Total Pages | 28 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Magazine, USA_Souvenir Jain Center CA So Los Angeles, & USA |
| File Size | 2 MB |