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 137

"From Local Get-Together to Community Center: The Jain Center of Southern California"
By: Shayna Parekh
My earliest memories of Jain Center and Pathsala classes include waking early on a Sunday morning and getting together with peers at a local house. Uncles and aunts in the community would get together to host such classes, and a few local families would participate.
To say that ten years has changed the Jain Center of Southern California would simply understate the degree to which the Center has flourished and prospered. The physical and spiritual changes which the Center has undergone in ten years have manifested themselves in the sheer number of families now involved with the Center, the variety of Pathsala and language classes offered and most importantly, the manner in which the Center's youth organizations have touched the lives of Jain youth in Southern California and beyond.
I have had the unique experience of being involved with the Center since its conception. As a 6 year old kid attending Pathsala classes at the local homes, my only motivation for going was knowing that at the end of the morning, I would be rewarded with a snack. Now however, as a college student, I have completed the Pathsala and language classes and my motivation to continue being involved with the Center comes from the strong friendships forged through years of attending classes as well as knowing that I am now looked upon as a role model for younger students.
The Jain Center Youth Council is one of Jain Center of Southern California's premier youth organizations. Led by our director, Sailes Jain, we have provided the Center's youth with literally hundreds of activities throughout the years. Being the Council's President in 1996 allowed me to work with the community's finest, bringing to our members a winter camp, trips to amusement parks, educational seminars as well as fun seasonal activities. The one underlying message in all of the Center's activities is that Jainism is a way of life and it is this message which has penetrated the lives and beliefs of all those involved with the Center
Noteworthy of being its greatest accomplishment, the Jain Center of Southern California has positively impacted the lives of hundreds of youth in Southern California during these ten years. It is truly an honor being a member of the Jain community and being able to work so closely with the Jain Center of Southern California
No spiritual teacher or blessings will destroy karmas. That is the reason for injustice. No luck is
involved. You are the maker of your own luck. -Karishma Shah (14)
Jain Education Intemational