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Compiled by JAINA
Souvenir Committee
VIEWS & OPINIONS OF YOUNG JAINS
One of the goals of this year's JAINA souvenir was to represent as many voices as possible. This year, as part of our call for articles, we specifically asked children 15 and younger to share their opinions and views on religion and peace.
With the help of the JAINA Education Committee, we sent four questions to Pastshala teachers around the world. The questions were:
1. What does Jainism mean to you?
2. What is 'peace'?
3. What do you say when someone asks you, 'what is Jainism?' 4. What is your favorite Jain festival?
We were very pleased to receive an extremely enthusiastic response from the community and from our children. It was remarkable to learn how eager our children were to participate and what they had to say about Jainism. The quality of the responses far exceeded our expectations for which we would like to thank the parents and teachers for so wonderfully cultivating religion into the lives of these young children.
What does Jainism mean to you?
• It means peace and happiness through all your life. (Adarsh Shah, 6, London)
• Jainism means to me a way of life, a way to express my feelings spiritually, a way to understand the concept of life. (Niyant Shah, 10, London)
⚫ Jainism means non-violence to me. It tells me not to lie and steal. It makes my soul make good choices. (Sohum Daftary, 10, Dallas, TX)
• Jainism, to me, means it is the only religion that allows you to go on the path to attain Liberation [Moksh], the only religion that gives the true meaning of Ahimsa [non-violence]. It also gives you an understanding of the soul's journey through the cycle of birth and death. Moksh is when you attain ultimate knowledge and are out of the cycle of birth and death. forever. You can do this by stopping to eat meat, do not commit violent act, have no attachments, and not be greedy. These are just a few of the many things that the Jain religion teaches us. (Shree Shah, 11, Dallas, TX)
Jainism is very important in my life. I think of Jainism as a religion that strongly believes in nonviolence. It is the reason that I, and many other Jains don't believe in eating meat. It has also taught me to value the principle of Truth. Without Jainism, I would be following a path that I do not want to take. (Alisha Vora, 12, Farmington Hills, MI)
Ja14 Biennial JAINA Convention 2007
For Private & Persol 99e Only
PEACE THROUGH DIALOGUErary.org
