Jain Study Center NC Raleigh 1999 08 Twenty Years

SR No.: 528542
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jain Study Center NC Raleigh
Publisher: USA Jain Study Center NC Raleigh
Publication Year: 1999
Total Pages: 122
Language: English
Classification: Magazine, USA_Souvenir Jain Center NC Raleigh, & USA
File Size: 15 MB

Page 73

Jain Meetings: A Timeless Space
by Nisha Varia
Sunday. 10:30 am. Or for our family, 10:45. Outside the window, the morning looks fresh, clear, and broken only by the sounds of chirping birds or the occasional lawn mower. I sit cross-legged on the floor, covered with beautiful Indian prints or simple white sheets, surrounded by adults on each side, and by other youth in the front and back. The familiar yet distinct scent of agarbati, the sounds of the same stavans that have brought our voices together for years place me in a different time and space.
It is a space that is timeless - for it is one that I have known as long as I can remember and one that continues today. It is a time without boundaries of space, for it is with me whether I am in Chapel Hill, California, India, or DC.
There is silence, a furtive looking around. The children have just been asked whether any of them have prepared anything this week. After the initial reluctance, one by one they take the chair and recite what they have memorized from the blue Jain folder - sometimes over the last month, sometimes the night before, and sometimes, in the car that morning.
I value how much I learn, both from reciting my own pieces, and from listening to others. This is the type of process, which builds a strong foundation - a little bit of learning over a long amount of time, not vice versa. The honest thief, the vows of lay people, monks, and nuns; different sutras...sometimes the exact details are remembered, sometimes not. But the space and time to think about non-violence, compassion, and truth have a lasting impact.
A pot-maker and a pot. Before the meeting, I thought I knew the cause of a pot being made. Who knew it could get this complicated? Whether by joining the adults in their discussion, having a separate youth session, or by writing essays, we have an introduction to some of the more complex concepts of Jainism.
It is here where I sense the difference that one's community makes. I feel that the Jain group provides a space for exposure to a certain belief system, one in which we are encouraged to strive for non-violence in one's thoughts, words, and actions; to try to understand things from many points of view rather than judging, and to exercise a certain discipline towards life. Today's world is too often filled with violence and therefore suffering, with intolerance and therefore hate, and with selfishness and therefore inequality and oppression. In such a world, the principles of ahimsa, anekantvada, and aparigraha are truly ones which promote peace.
But before we let the discussion get too heavy, it's time for lunch. Despite all of the talk about discipline, this is still one of the highlights of the day (my stomach takes this moment to profoundly thank all the aunties). This is the time to say hello to everyone and catch up. The Jain group is just as much a social and cultural community as it is a spiritual one.
I feel so fortunate to have grown up with such a close group of families. The warm-hearted people as well as the size and constancy of our group has lent itself to an intimacy that is difficult