Jain Center Los Angeles CA 1998 07 10th Anniversary of Jain Bhavan

Author(s): Jain Center So CA Los Angeles
Publisher: USA Jain Center Southern California

Page 132

Personal Perspectives of Members on Impact of Jain Center in Their Lives
Priya Sheth, age 15
Since my childhood, religion has been a part of my life and through the years Jain Temple has allowed me to extend my knowledge about the Jain Religion and make it part of my daily life. Even before the temple was built, my parents took me to an activity center where Jain functions were held.
My religious studies started out simple with my parents making me recite the Namokar Mantra. Soon I was able to say it all on my own and I used to recite it every morning and night. However, after attending Dharam and Gujarati classes at the temple, I have learned a lot about religion and language through the hard work of my teachers and parents. I know that I have a lot more to learn, but going to Pathshala classes at temple has opened my eyes to Jainism and many of its' vast topics and practices.
Jain center opened many doors to religion for me. Pathshala introduced me not only to prayers but also to nine reals, theory of karma, the 4 passions, stories of Gods, meditation and much more. Going to temple once every two weeks allowed me to learn about Jainism and made my beliefs stronger because I knew the reasons behind them. Jain Center is responsible for a lot of the knowledge which has helped me so much in life.
The teachings at Jain Bhavan have benefited me mentally and spiritually. Recently, I have started to deal with situations better by trying not to get angry at others and trying to forgive people. This gives me more peace of mind but it definitely needs much more practice. One aspect of Jainism that has really been helpful to me is multiplicity of views. I find this a very important part of Jainism and it is really helpful in life for me because I am able to look at situations from different points of views and understand other peoples' perspectives.
However, after learning principles of Jainism the hard part is to put these teachings in practice. Temple has helped us do this. When the Samanijis came here, we were able to "see" many Jain principles in practice especially when they stayed at our home. I observed how they lived on minimal requirements and still be so happy. While here, they taught me many things such as yoga, meditation, and other principles.
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I will try my best to be a good Jain.
- Ayushee Aithal (8)