________________
FEATURES
AVOID LIFE'S TRAFFIC JAMS
Pooja is serious fun, explains Atul K Shah
Children consider the temple as a creative playground and befriend God in the process
TNDIA BEGINS ITS DAY WITH WORSHIP.
People pray, bow, meditate and Lbathe the divine. This is a rare phenomenon in the modern world of religious scepticism. During my recent visit to India, I was fascinated to observe one community practising this act of reverence - the Jains. Every morning, many Jains all over India take a bath, put on fresh saintly clothes and walk barefoot to their local temple.
They embark on their daily pilgrimage with no possessions and high aspirations.
On a street in Mumbai, it is very easy to mark out the Jains by their dresses. Some of them even carry a cloth mask that they must wear when inside the temple. From the moment they walk into the temple, they remove the worldly concerns from their mind and enter into meditation. Their focus
is on the Tirthankaras, the teachers and ford makers who conquered their own vices to teach the world about compassion and salvation through their own living example. The recitation of the Namokar Mahamantra encourages them to salute the achievements of all divine souls who attained salvation.
The world today is full of sceptics of religion. Scientists and intellectuals are adamant that God has no place on
20
Jain Spirit . September - November 2002
Jan Education International 2010_03
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
