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First Place Essay: 11 to 14 yea
laymen, and the 6 essentials, (Samayik, Chauvisantho, (worship of the 24 tirthankars) Vandana, respect to all holy Jain monks) Pratikraman, {reflecting -turning back on yourself} Kayotsraga, {meditation towards self} and Pratyakhyan, {self control through vows}) all interlock with each other, in the sense that these guide lines all work off of one goal, reaching liberation in one of your next lives, through, as said, helping yourself, and others. It is hard to put into more words, how Jainism fascinates me, but I keep saying that Jainism is such a large religion, with roots, and rules you can research and practice in your daily lives. Also, I try to mention, in context, that Jainism helps us by figuring out things, that non-Jains may have never seen or believed before, such as the theory of reincarnation, showing passion towards all, the science of the universe, or how even becoming a vegetarian can help the Earth.
Jainism is around me, everywhere, and everyday, and as part of the 1" generation, I plan to practice Jainism all of my life. In North America, we Indians, are supposedly "split" between American culture, and Indian beliefs. I do not believe that because, those two things are integral, and are not that different as some people tend to exaggerate. Some of my Jain friends are so "split" between this, that they have chosen to eat meat, and not follow any Jain basics. I believe, through my practices, I am past that, and will always remain a Jain follower. I am practicing the Jain religion to 'Yatha Shakti', or within my limits. I study Jain scriptures, such as Jainism Through Science, by Munishri Nandighoshavijayi which is very complicated, but I try to incorporate the thoughts from the book into my head, and the rest of my Jain thinking. Also, reading Jain scriptures in my free time, helps me expand my thinking as a Jain, and think things I have never thought before. Also, performing the fundamentals of Jainism, such as pooja, and samayik, help my mental ability, in the way, that I can concentrate more, and understand what is going on around me. Also, rituals give me a better understanding of the Jain religion as a whole, and these rituals also are a time that you learn from the older, respected people of the temple, and their views on Jainism, and their knowledge. The Jain temple is a place where I feel I can be safe from the outside world, and the temple is a place I know I am being watched by the 24 Tirthankars. It is also a place that I can practice the Jain religion with my fellow Jains.
I am influenced by two very religious parents. My dad is the pathshala director, and my mom is my teacher, but some of my friends say that gives me an unfair advantage. To what? I ask. I also say, what you practice in Jainism is all about choice, and all about what you truly believe in. Jainism is also about your values, and it goes beyond what your teachers have taught you, your peers have said to you, and what your parents have put into you. It is your life, and your religion, so use it well. I believe that I represent the Jain children of America, because I have read many Jain books, and am living the Jain experience. The Jain experience consists of being a
Jain in North America, and spreading the message of Jainism and non-violence around. I attend all of the religious conventions. I am too young to go to the YJA convention, but once I do, I will try to set up an area which will let the attendees know, that having faith in Jainism, and practicing the three jewels will lead to everlasting internal happiness.
Representation of Jainism, not only comes from certain children, but everyone. Remember, a chain is as strong as its weakest link. Catch my drift? I believe that I am an influence to many young Jain children, because the only way for people to move in the right direction, is that there is an example set for them, by older children. For example, I have helped many children a little younger than me, learn not to eat eggs, or gelatin. They already know not to eat meat, but these are the smaller foods that kids have a hard time making a decision about. I do not tell them what to do, I just set them with an example, and they choose their own path. I basically have outlined how I plan to practice to practice Jainism in the future, but I will talk about those details, and how I plan to expand it.
Jainism, is strong, at approximately 2 million members. It is currently being spread right now, by very influential monks, and respected gurudevs, such as Gurudev Shree Chitrabhanu, and the late Acharya Sushil Kumar. They have spread the Jain message, of Ahimsa, primarily in India. But, in North America, the children are the key. The children are the generation of the future. We will be running things very soon. It is best that we spread the message through fellow peers, whether they practice Jainism or not. They will at least know of our goals for the future, which I will get a little detailed with later, and I have mentioned a little bit. In North America, where the population is predominantly Christian, it is hard to spread a religion itself, but the messages of the religion are not so hard to spread. My Jain friends know this too, and they also tell their non-Jain friends of this religion. Our practice of Jainism in the future must remain as it was in the generations before us. If we, the children, do not maintain a strong Jain population, the Jain religion has a chance of dying out after hundreds of thousands of years of existence. It is in our hands to pass on what we know. It has been proven time and time again, that with every generation gone, there is something left behind, something not taught. That's why America's kids go to Pathshala, to learn what their own parents might never teach them. Right now, we are at a stage where we are one of the world's 12 major religions, which is very good. But still, not a lot of people know of our existence, and individuality. We are a religion, on our own, and that's that. All of my non-Jain friends just call me a "Hindu," even though they know I am Jain. That's what we need to get out of their heads, the wrong thoughts in their heads.
There are many obstacles in being a Jain today. First of all, the fact that the Jain tradition might not be passed on, is one. As I partly explained earlier, our parents have some knowledge that they might
18/JAIN DIGEST SPRING 1999
Jain Education Interational 2010_02
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