Jain Spirit 2005 12 No24

SR No.: 529004
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains
Publication Year: 2005
Total Pages: 102
Language: English
Classification: Magazine, UK_Jain Spirit, & UK
File Size: 21 MB

Page 34

NEWS FEATURES
new books
and Laxmi Jain, renowned for her cookbooks and cooking shows.
The Epitome of Queen Lilavati Volume One By Jina.Ratna, edited and translated by R.C.C. Fynes (New York: Clay Sanskrit Library, 2005. Series Editor: Richard Gombrich)
his Jain epic is one of a series of Sanskrit classics published this year to launch the new Clay Sanskrit Library. It was written
in 1285 by the monk and poet Jina.Ratna, as a way of promoting and explaining the ethic of Jainism to a lay readership. It tells the story of the lives of a group of souls as they pass through a series of incarnations, or embodiments in Jain terminology, on their way towards moksha, which is liberation from samsara: the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
pure consciousness achieved by the shedding of karma. This is reflected by the wide range of characters in Jina. Ratna's tales. They are all seeking their own distinctive paths to the truth and although many of them deviate from that path, there is always the possibility of success. The difficult ascetic practice, that is the surest way to liberation, is presented in all its rigours, but in an extravagant language that fires the visual imagination: "Good sir, initiation as a Jain ascetic in the form of the five great vows acts as a diamond for the rocks of karma produced over many lives of good fortune, it acts as a mass of rain clouds for the extinction of the flames of the fires of manifest suffering; it acts as a boat for crossing the boundless ocean of existence."
Not only does the book provide colourful, yet practical recipes for everyday cooking but it also gives the readers a spiritual insight into the ideals of the Jain religion, including the chapters The Spiritual Journey and Food of Jain Ascetics. It equips the reader with an understanding into the religious aspects of eating, providing newcomers to the philosophy with a great insight into the Jain approach to nutrition and healthy eating.
Epitome is one of the hidden jewels of Jain literature. It has great relevance to those of us who are striving for spiritual truths in a complex and often confusing world order.
The recipes range from drinks, soups and appetisers to vegetables and international dishes - including Mexican, rice and lentils, and desserts! The instructions are fairly straightforward, and although not every dish is illustrated, it is relatively easy to follow. The book includes a separate. chapter of recipes for young people and first-time cooks, providing them with the simpler dishes, such as rice, so once people get to grips with those they can move on to the more complex dishes. Gatta Pulav - Stir Fry Rice with Chickpea Flour Balls - is just one of the varied recipes featured in the rice and lentils section, and not only is it simple to prepare and cook, but is healthy too and only takes just 15 minutes to complete. Great if you need to prepare your evening meals quickly. As a nice touch, all the recipes in Jain Food have intro comments by their creators.
AIDAN RANKIN •
Epitome is, accordingly, a collection of moral tales loosely woven together, replete with memorable incidents and all the quirks, eccentricities and even perversions that make up the human experience. Characters include, for example, Dhana, the rich merchant who seeks to justify crooked business deals, Padma.ratha, who attempted to seduce the ladies of the royal household whilst invisible, and Basun. dhara, the bogus holy man who was caught copulating with a female dog and so symbolically exposed as a fraud. To the Western reader such stories call to mind the bawdier sections of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales or perhaps even more) the dark yet sinisterly comic visions of Hieronymus Bosch.
CLAY SANSKRIT LIBRARY
THE EPITOME OF QUEEN LILÁVATI
VOLUME ONE BY JINA-RATNA
Overall, the recipes in Jain Food are very varied and well expressed. This innovative team have managed to provide people, followers of the Jain diet (or simply those curious) with a spiritual and unique way of eating. LAURA WILKINSON
Edited and by
R.C.C. EYNES
The stories are related to Queen Lilavati and her husband King Simha by the teacher-monk Samarsena. They cover a wide range of issues, such as anger and violence, greed, possessiveness or attachment, promiscuity and the propagation of falsehoods. These and other passions build up layers of karma which stand as obstacles - physical as much as intellectual and moral - to liberation and self-realisation. In a sense, the adventures of Jina.Ratna's characters resemble those of Christian, the hero of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. He, after all, is tested by an array of problems in living as he strives to attain perfect knowledge and faith. But in Jainism, the jiva or the individual soul is tested over many lifetimes.
Jain Food: Compassionate and Healthy Eating By Manoj Jain, MD, Laxmi Jain and Tarla Dalal, 174pp Copyright 2005 Manoj Jain and Laxmi Jain. Copyright 2005 Tarla Dalal for recipes by Tarla Dalal $14.95
jain food
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Moksha does not involve submission to an all-powerful creator, but freedom from all worldly constraints, including both submission to power
and desire for power. It is a state of Jain Education International
WWW JAINSPIRIT.COM
ain Food is an exciting introduction into the lifestyle of nutrition within Jain culture, written by India's best-selling
cookery author Tarla Dalal, along with US based MD Manoj Jain
www.jainelibrary or