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Vaishnava Jana To Tene Kahiye Re...
One of the foremost Vaishnavas of this century was Mahatma Gandhi. He truly lived the message of Narsi Mehta's famous song, Vaishnava Jana To Tene Kahiye Re, Je Peeda Parayi Jaane Re, or "one who knows the suffering of others is called a Vaishnava."
"Vaishnava" literally means the followers of the Supreme Lord "Vishnu." The Vaishnava tradition has been nurtured by many saints and seers who have inspired others by their own lives. The Vaishnava Center for Enlightenment follows Sri Ramanuja's teachings. He shows us the way as to how we can relate in a very personal way to the Supreme
Lord Vishnu.
Sri Ramanuja's Three Goals
• Live a life of dedication to the Lord and do His Will as a servant of the Lord.
• Promote harmony among different faiths. • Serve the poor and see God in the poor.
Vaishnava Center Started In 1989
To promote this Vaishnava Way of Life, a Global Center was established in the Lansing Area in 1989. For this purpose, we started The India Heritage School in 1990 for imparting religious education to children.
Then, The Dharma School for the eduction of the whole family was begun in 1996. Vedic and Gita classes meet Sundays in Lansing and Wednesdays in the Detroit area. For character building of youth, summer camps are held in California, Michigan, and Pennsylvania under the guidance of Dr. S.N. Subba Rao of National Youth Project, New Delhi and Sri Madhusudan Das of Abhiyan, Orissa.
Regular spiritual discourses are arranged with learned Acharyas like Swami Tyagananda Puri of Paramhans Sanyas Ashram and Acharya Meenakshi Devi of Manohardham Ashram.
Interfaith Services
Gita and Vedic Scriptural classes are offered to members of other faiths. Fellowship for Today, Metaphysical Church of Christ in the Lansing area, and Theosophical
Jain Education International
Lodge in Detroit frequently arrange such programs. In 1997 we organized an interfaith memorial service to pay homage to the memory of Mother Theresa at the Cristo Rey Community Chapel in the Lansing area.
Humanitarian Services
We offer free counseling services to families in crisis. Through our humanitarian service arm International Service Society, we respond to disasters globally, such as the Midwest Floods, the Latur Earthquake, and the Andhra and Bangladesh Cyclones. Our volunteers rushed in emergency aid to families in the coastal areas of Orissa and W. Bengal recently hit by Tornado. Other Programs And Activities
Excellent artists such as Pandit Mukesh Desai for Classical Indian Music, Mythili Kumar for the Dance Drama From Annamacharya to Gandhi, and Sudha Chandrasekhar for Bharatanatyam Dances have regularly performed to appreciative audiences.
In 1997 we staged a play Lahu Ka Rang Ek Hai for promoting communal harmony and we jointly celeberated the Golden Anniversary of Freedom of India and Pakistan with a play Victory to The World.
We promote Gandhian Trusteeship Principles for Business and Non-Violent Agriculture, that is why we serve only Organic Food at all of our programs.
For more information, please phone 517-337-7888.
Best Wishes from Vaishnava Center for Enlightenment
TO THE JAIN SOCIETY OF GREATER DETROIT
FOR THEIR GRAND OPENING OF THE TEMPLE
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