Book Title: Jain Center Los Angeles CA 2008 09 Pratishta Souvenior
Author(s): Jain Center So CA Los Angeles
Publisher: USA Jain Center Southern California
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MY PROGRESS TOWARDS RELIGION Hemendra Doshi (MARI DHAR
6: [MARI DHARMA-VIKAS YATRA]
"Wake up Son, it's time for you to go to School". "OOTTHU CHHU (yes, I am waking up)" was my routine answer. "Make sure you do Bhagwan Ni Puja at the temple before you go to school".
This was my upbringing right from childhood. At that time, I thought I belonged to a very religious family. With five of my sisters having taken Diksha (Nuns), everyone in the family was considered to be very religious. As for me, I was least interested in religion. Relentless pressure from the parents made me do all the religious chores. It wasn't that I was opposed to all those religious activities such as doing Puja and going to Vyakhyan (religious lecture by a Jain Muni) or fasting, but rather that I never had any real interest in doing them and had no idea why I was even doing it. All I knew was that it was one way to keep my parents happy and so I did it. That was the first phase in my life towards progress in Religion.
Then I came to America and the second phase began with the same old theme but with some twists and different characters. First it was my parents, and now it was my wife asking me to do the same things. Every alternate Sundays, take the kids to the Pathshala, look at God (I am purposely not using the word DARSHAN), recite some prayers and quickly go down to socialize with friends. My wife attended the adult Swadhyay and always nagged me to attend the same. My routine excuse was: "I don't understand a word in the Swadhyay." "Give it a try," was my wife's way of persuading me. Did I have any choice?!! I finally started attending the adult Swadhyay and pretty soon dropped out because of the same excuse: "I can't understand anything." "Please give it a try little longer, at least for six months, and then if you still don't understand, you are free to socialize" (meant to be "waste your time"). And that was the second phase in my life towards progress in Religion.
These Swadhyays have instilled in me the basics of true religion which is the right way to live life. Now, I practice religion because it gives me inner peace. It helps me live a better life every step of the way. It has given me an insight to look at every living soul with love & compassion, and that begins with family & friends. Let me give some examples to explain the changes I have undergone.
(1) Let us say that I am driving on a freeway, running late for work, while the car in front of me is driving extremely slow. Today, I would pass the car and not even look at who the driver is, lest my thoughts get polluted. Whereas, six years ago, I would have given a bad look to the driver and cursed him. What changed? Now, I am able to clearly understand and respect the person/situation for what it may be, without being judgmental. (2) Today, I go to the temple for DARSHAN (not to just to look at God). I am not only looking at the idol, but also trying to feel the presence of that Almighty, thinking of all His Virtues & Qualities and trying to develop the same in me by asking His Help.
If you are free of hatred, then you have no reason to be violent.
Risha Shukla, 12
