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AHIMSA TIMES - JULY 2008 ISSUE - www.jainsamaj.org
Page 1 of 15
Vol. No. 97 July, 2008
AHIMSA TIMES
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"Nonviolence is not inaction. It is not discussion. It is not for the timid or weak... Non-violence is hard work. It is the willingness to sacrifice. It is the patience to win."
TEMPLES
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PARASNATH HILLS FACE THREAT DUE TO MINING Giridih, Mining, legal or otherwise, is no longer just a geological problem at the Parasnath hills. Frequent tree-felling and soil erosion have given the issue a religious angle. Geologists and environmentalists warn that if no concrete steps are taken to stop misuse of the mountain within 50 years, there would be a significant threat to the 4,431 ft Parasnath hill. Parasnath hills hold special significance for Jains as most of the Jain Tirthankars including Parsva or Parsvanath, attained nirvana on the hill. Environmentalist U.C. Mehta said the life of the mountain is decreasing fast thanks to the way trees are being cut down frequently. One of the problems is the construction of the Grand Trunk Road, which passes beside the hill. The road has been under construction for four years, and stones and soil from the hill are being used for the construction, President of Jain Swetamber Society, Kamal Singh Rampuria says he will ask the government for a survey to get exact data of the hill's height and also to take necessary steps to maintain the condition of the hill. According to Mr. Deepak Kumar, a geologist at Vinobha Bhave University, any form of mining is dangerous for the hill. The hill has also been a research centre for specialists making life-saving drugs. Several medicinal plants grow on the hill,
PRATISHTHA CEREMONY OF SHWETAMBAR JAIN TEMPLES IN AMERICA Within next twelve months, the following eight Jain centers of America will celebrate the Pratishtha ceremony (installation of Tirthankar idol) in their new or renovated/expanded Jain temples.
1. Jain Center of Greater Atlanta 2. Jain Center of Charlotte (North Carolina) 3. Jain Center of Tampa (Florida) 4. Jain Center of Phoenix (Arizona) 5. Jain Center of Southern California (Los Angeles) 6. Jain Center of Southern Florida (Miami) 7. Jain Center of Cleveland (Ohio) 8. Jan Center of Chicago
There are two types of Pratishtha ceremonies performed to install a Tirthankar idol of the Shvetämbar tradition in a temple. * Präna-Pratishthä which includes an Anjan-Shaläkä сeremony * Simple Pratishtha which does not include an Anjan-Shalakä сeremony Both the ceremonial processes as performed by Shvetämbar Murtipujak Jain communities. It also explains the benefits and additional responsibility the members of the society have to fulfill if their centers decide to install the idols with Anjan-Shaläkä/ Präna-Pratishthä ritual. Some of the new temples in America have decided to install (Pratishtha) a Tirthankar idol with simple Pratishthä (without an Anjan-Shaläkä on an Idol) ceremony while others are not sure whether to install the idols with Anjan-Shaläkä ritual or not. This article may provide some help in your decision.
Basically during Prana-Pratishtha or simple Pratishtha ceremony, the same rituals are performed except during Präna
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8/11/2009
