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JAINA CONVENTION 2011
Essays by Pathashala Students
Jain Center of Southern California and Jain Society of Houston
Introduction
In conjunction with the 2011 Mahavir Jayanti celebrations at the Jain Center of Southern California (JCSC), the pathshala students (Ages 7 to 15) were challenged to submit essays on the topic of "How do I apply Jain principles in my daily life". Six essays first and second place winners - are presented below in the ascending age groups.
How Do I Apply Jain Principles In My Daily Life
(1) Priya Shah (Class 2) Ages 7 to 9 1st Place
I learned the principles of Mahavir Bhagwan. from monks, my parents and my Pathshala teachers.
The first principle I will talk about is honesty; it is like saying the truth. Being honest is a good thing to do because if you do not say the truth people will never trust you. One day my mom and I were in the grocery store paying at the register and the cashier gave my mom extra change. So my mom gave it back.
The second principle I follow is respect. I always respect my elders, for example I always bow down to every adult in my house to give respect to them. Whenever my grandparents come from India, I always do what they tell me to do and I do not argue with them.
The third principle I follow is not to steal (nonstealing). I use this every day of my life. Whenever I want to borrow something, I ask the person who the object belongs to. One day I wanted to borrow my cousin, Harsh's sharpener, so I asked him if I could and he said yes.
"Live and Help Live"
The fourth principle, I follow is non-violence. You should keep your hands to yourself and never fight with anyone. We should learn to control ourselves. One day I was very mad at my friend because she lied to me, but I controlled myself.
The fifth principle I follow is good conduct. I use this principle in my daily life by being nice to everyone even if I do not know them. One day when I went to the library, I saw a man who could not walk, so I opened the door for him so he could go inside the library.
The sixth principle I follow is compassion. Once I saw a hungry girl and she did not look well. She did not have any food, so I bought her some biscuits. Always help people and be compassionate.
The seventh principle I follow is nonpossessiveness. It also means not to be greedy. For example, if someone wants to play the game you have, you should let them play it. One day, my friend wanted to play my game and I let her play it.
The eighth principle I follow is having a positive attitude. Always be nice to everyone with a positive attitude and do not be mean. For example, whenever my brother is sad, I always try to cheer him up.
The ninth principle I follow is self-control. You could do lots of bad things when you are angry, so try to control yourself. For example, whenever I get angry I say Navkar Mantra and cool down.
The tenth principle I follow is Navkar Mantra. Whenever I am scared or badly hurt I say the Navkar Mantra because it is a powerful mantra, for example once my finger got stuck in a door, but instead of crying I said the Navkar mantra and it helped me a lot.
The eleventh principle I follow is Mahavir Bhagwan. Mahavir Bhagwan is the most
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