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 135

Personal Perspectives of Members on Impact of Jain Center in Their Lives
Digish Shah, age 17
On July 2nd, 1988, my dad woke me up early out of bed. I was about seven years old then, and I didn't really know what was going on. I asked my father what the matter was, and he told me that the new "Jain Center" had opened and that it could be like a "second home" to me. Still not knowing exactly what that meant, I got out of bed and simply followed him.
Since that day, the first thing that truly made the Jain Center of Southern California a part of my life was the religious classes (JCYC) that were being held there. In the beginning, I would hesitantly pack my notebooks and go, but as time passed, I found that JCYC was a great place for learning. Jainism and its fundamentals were taught to me, from the basics to the applications in life; the Gujarati language was brought to my attention, from the alphabet to putting words together and understanding them; periodically, JCYC would organize skits and dramas, and I took an active part in almost all of them. As I have grown throughout the years, the JCYC itself has grown, from being a loose collection of seminars to becoming one of the most organized councils of the Jain Center.
And while I was attending JCYC, I was meeting new people. I remember the first person I had met through the Jain Center... We used to dislike each other! But as the years went by, we became really good friends - and I've met and made friends with many other wonderful people. Working on dramas or presentations, cooperating on the youth councils, or just "hanging-out" in the parking lot - wherever I was at Jain Center, it provided to me an excellent place to meet friends who I will cherish for a lifetime.
Ten years after that day in July of 1988, now that I'm seventeen years-old, know exactly what my father was talking about. In a way, the Jain Center has grown to be my "second home." I always felt like I was part of the Jain "family".. . I grew-up with those people, I took parts in the "family" events, and I've come to know many friends whom I may call my own "brothers" and "sisters. For that, the Jain Center has played a positive role in my life- it was the only educational center where I could learn about my religion, it was the only religious haven where I could experience events such as Paryushana with other people, it was the only theater where it was possible to perform Jain-related presentations and skits- but most importantly, it was and will continue to be my "second home."
I have plans to practice and promote Jainism in the future. I plan to overcome all the
obstacles in the way. -Suken Jain (16)
Jain Education Intemational