Ahimsa Times 2007 10 SrNo 88

Author(s): Ahimsa Times
Publisher: Ahimsa Times

Page 4

AHIMSA TIMES - OCTOBER 2007 ISSUE - www.jainsamaj.org
to all Londoners. I am sorry about the weather but what's remarkable is that we have a full Trafalgar Square," said Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London.
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SWETAMBER STHANAKWASI SANGH IN MOMBASA CELEBRATED PARUSAN WITH 400 SANGH MEMBERS Coastweek - To mark the end of paryushan festiwal Shree Swetamber Sthanakwasi Jain Sangh in Mombasa celebrated their annual swami vatsalya with more than four hundred (400) Sangh members with an extended invitation to the invited guests who witnessed and graced the occasion in the most homely atmosphere and befitting arrangements. Under the Chairman Rajnikant Vora the present Managing Committee recognized and decorated all the past Chairmen and Trustees of the Sangh (SSSJS) way back from 1936- 2006. In addition to this the Sangh also respected and awarded special Silver Plaques to all including the Elderly members who are aged 70 years and above as 'Senior Sangh Member' by the way of their contribution of voluntary services in various fields as and when required by Jain fraternity in the City of Mombasa. The celebrations first of its kind (Be-stowing respects to Elderly members) was organized at the ultra modern Air-conditioned Hall courtesy of Shree Navnat Vanik Mahajan (behind Hotel Sapphire). All together the Hall was vibrating throughout the function with tunes of religious verses. Prior to such celebrations many members, fasted for continuous eight days by only drinking water from 6.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. and offer prayers for two hours in the evening. On the fifth day of fasting Jains celebrated the birthday of their Lord Mahavira. After eight days of fasting, they contributed in cash, kind towards the betterment of the less fortunate members regardless of their, cast, religion or color.
SHRI DIGAMBER JAIN SAMAJ TEMPLE IN BANGKOK
Shri Digamber Jain Samaj, Bangkok has completed the transfer of ownership of a 3-storey townhouse property on 19th July 2007 in the name of "Digambar Jain Foundation" (DJF) at house # 143/3, near K. Building Apartment, Soi Putha Osoth, off Maha Set Road, Suriwong, Bangkok. It is indeed a memorable event and a milestone for the growth of Jainism in Thailand and for all Digambar Jains living here for past several years. The Jin Bimb (statue) and prayer hall are located on the 2nd Floor. Ground floor contains store, shower and WC area. 3rd Floor is
an open hall for Swadhyay. The space is adequate for the current size of Digamber Jain community. There are over 500 Jain families living in Thailand, mostly in Bangkok, for past
several years. Out of them, about 100 are Digamber Jain families and the rest are Shwetamber families. Shwetambers also have their Derasar in the vicinity, built few years ago. In April 2004, current President of All India Digamber Jain Mahasabha, Shri Nirmal Kumar Ji Sethi, had visited Bangkok and had inspired us to construct a temple for the Digamber Jains. This year DJF invited a very knowledgeable Shri Bharat bhai and 2 Musicians from India and celerated Das Lakshan Maha Parv from 16th to 25th September, 2007 with full devotion. DJF is also proud to send 3 Thai post graduate scholars (2 in year 2006 and 1 in year 2007) to India to participate in a 2 months' intensive summer course organised by International Summer School for Jain Studies (ISSJS) to study the Philosophy of Jain religion. These scholars will help DJF in propagating Lord Mahavir's teachings to local people. For further information, please contact: Pramod M. Jain, EMail: djfbangkok@hotmail.com
TENTH ANNUAL YOUNG JAIN PROFESSIONALS CONVENTION IN USA
The 10th Annual Young Jain Professionals Convention was held in St. Petersburg, FL from September 28 to October 1, 2007. The theme of the convention was 'Back to Basics'. A primary aim of this convention was to bring everyone in a natural setting and provide a forum for learning about and discussing issues that we as Jains face in the professional stage of our lives. Participants came from all over North America, including Seattle, Toronto, Indianapolis, and San Francisco. The convention began Friday evening with introductions. Participants were also called upon to think about the concept of forgiveness for the duration of the week-end and reflect on how we can be more forgiving and seek forgiveness from others to a greater extent than what they might normally do. Later that night, participants sat around a camp fire and enjoyed roasting vegan marshmallows, as they got to know each other better. Saturday morning began with a yoga session led by Tushar Mehta. Participants got the chance to try out various yoga postures that Jain munis have been doing for centuries. After breakfast, participants got a chance to learn about Vegan Fashions. Rina Shah, whose company has won awards for manufacturing "animal-friendly" products and for donating to "animal-friendly" causes, educated participants on the availability of such products. Her designs, which are available in stores in several countries and online, include non
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8/11/2009