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TERRIER SERIOUS
RITUALS OR A NEW SPIRITUAL AWAKENING
INC
-Dr. Pravin L. Shah, Reading, PA Today we are very proud as Jain community to have Jain cen- teacher Srimad Rajchandra cautions us on overly ritualistic activters in every state and in every metropolitan area, thanks to the ity in Atmasiddhi Sastra as follows: vision of JAINA and visionary leaders like Gurudev Chitrabhanu Koi kriya jad thai rahya, shushkagnanma koi and Acharya Sushilkumarji.
maane marag mokshano karuna upaje joi As we are on the threshold of the new millenium, we may
(Atamasiddhishastra-Shrimad Rajchandra) stop to do some soul searching to reflect on what is our purpose
Following seven point program would allow our generation on earth, whom am I, what is my true form, and how can I fulfill
to understand the purpose of rituals and begin a new journey to my dreams spiritually, socially, emotionally, economically and be
spiritual awakening in the new millenium. worthy to my fellow Jain brothers and sisters. We need to exam
• Change the emphasis of our temple activities from rituine our inner soul to answer some questions. For example, we as
alistic and entertainment events into spiritual activities stressing Jain community are spending millions of dollars and countless years of devoted effort to build very valuable Jain centers and beau
more on Swadhyay, meditation and reading of scriptures. tiful Jain temples all over America. Are we making good use of
Schedule puja events with emphasis on understanding those centers for the benefit of Jain community? Are we advanc- the meaning of each verse of the puja away from the current acing spiritually every year? Or are we falling into power struggle cent on how well we sing or be entertained by music. and routine rituals with irrational faith?
Invite local Jain scholars from different centers to conAccording to the most respected Jain texts, Tatvarthsutra, the duct truly spiritual Shibirs and Swadhyay activities year round. main objective of this human life is to attain self realization by
We need not depend upon four months of "scholars - imported devoting major portion of our time to study of the scriptures.
from India". Summer activities to transform us from ritualistic
society into a spiritually oriented Jain community. There is plenty It says
of talent in America; let us utilize it and appreciate it. Samyag darshan gnana charitrani mokshmargah
• Use some of the gheeboli funds and donations to help tattvartha shraddhanam samyagdarshanam
needy Jain families, battered women and children, and set up funds (Tattvartha Sutra- Acharya Umaswati) for Jain scholarships on merit basis for youngsters in North America. In other words, first we must prepare ourselves to study the We need to stay in touch with the community in North America. Jain philosophy including the properties of soul and matter, theory . Develop keen interest among all Jain families to devote of karma, and perform all our activities in such a way that it at least one hour every day at home to read Jain scriptures reguallows us to grow spiritually. This would only happen if we change larly. This habit can transform a ritualistic mind into a spiritual our course of religious practices from simplistic rituals to study of person in due time. scriptures and self introspection.
Each family should make a habit of involving all the family Let us examine typical activities of a Jain temple. It mainly members in a religious discussion at home on a regular basis. When consists of conducting monthly pujas, Mahavir Jayanti celebra- children are young it is the best time to get them interested in tions, Paryushana activities with big event being the Swapana family worship. Remember the saying "the family that prays toDarshan and Diwali and New Year Manglik jap. If we take the gether stays together". percentage of time and effort we spend in temples, it appears like
Encourage youngsters to participate in all temple activialmost 75% of our activities are mostly ritualistic, which also in
ties by being good role model and organizing special events for cludes playing of dandiya raas and gheeboli. In performing these
them. Time that we invest in our children to have them underrituals, we seem to ignore the real purpose of the pujas. Various
stand our religion will benefit us all. Let us strive to make Jain pujas, such as Snatra or Antray Karma Nivaran were designed by
community thrive spiritually. great Jain acharyas with a depth of spiritual meaning. Unfortunately, they are performed as means of social entertainment with major emphasis on mundane aspects of how well we are dressed up to stand up with a divo or how fast we can recite them.
Does it not seem like we have been following the rituals blindfolded without giving much thought to spiritual meaning of each puja or event? Do we want to spend valuable time in simply rituals or do we really want a true spiritual awakening? Great Jain
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