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JAINA CONVENTION 2011
"Live and Help Live"
important person in our life because he teaches us all of these principles so we can become just like him. Whenever I do darshan, I feel that he takes lots of care of me and lets me be a great person.
We also visit Panjrapole to feed the animals. Animals are very happy in open spaces. I do not go to zoos and Sea World because animals are tortured. They are not happy there. When my mom buys groceries, I also make sure that there are no meat or egg or animal ingredients in my food. I also try to avoid potato, onion and garlic.
I will learn more about these principles from my elders and teach others!
Qe
I gogog
(2) Anjal Parmar (Class 2)
Ages 7 to 9 2nd Place
Sometimes I become angry and make bad choices but when I calm down, I say I am sorry because I do not want to make my soul dirty.
RRR Dyyy
Bhagwan Mahavir told us to follow Jain Principles so that we become good citizens to our fellow living beings. I can also keep checking if I am on the path or Moksha or not. This is how my day goes.
(3) Priyash Parmar (Class 3)
Ages 10 to 12 1st Place
Just like AAA insures our car, I have identified three Jain principles that insure our soul from bad karmas. The three Jain principles are Ahimsa, Aparigraha and Asteya.
First thing in the morning, I join my palms together and recite the names of the 24 Tirthankars. After I take a shower, I go to my home temple and do navang pooja. I recite all the dohas while doing pooja. Pooja reminds me that I have to follow Jain Principles in everything I do and be a good person all day long. I love music and singing Jain songs makes me very happy. I think they have some magical power. Before I eat any meal, I say one Namokar Mantra which reminds me to make right food choices. I try my best not to step on the grass. Grass has the sense of touch. If I pretend that I am grass and someone walks on me, then I will cry. I help my friends at school when I finish my work.
Ahimsa means practice of nonviolence. Anything and everything that I do I make sure that there is no violence or as little violence as possible. I abstain from going to the Sea World or any zoo because they are big torture houses for the animals. We ourselves are "not" torturing the animals but by going to such places we are supporting violence in a big way. Most of the cakes and pastries are very tempting but I never eat them because they contain eggs. I just cannot ignore the pain that the birds and chickens went through. While shopping for groceries, I help my mom check ingredients. I also do not use leather and fur that is taken from the animals.
I never use paper napkins and plastic spoons; rather I pack my own steel spoon and handkerchief for school. I always remind my mom to take plates and spoons from home on Pathshala days. This way we can save many trees and help the environment.
Aparigraha means abstain from getting unnecessary things. On my birthdays, I decided not to accept gifts because they are a huge waste. Moreover, most of the stuff is similar to what I already have. I try hard to differentiate between "need to have" and "nice to have", and then make a decision.
When I visit the temple, I take dollar bills. I put one in the bhandar and another in the "Jivdaya box." When I go to India in the summer break, I tell my dad to use my piggy bank for the poor.
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