Jain Digest 2001 01 Vol 17 No 01

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 48

ties, cheating and business deals, dating and marriage across faiths, and keeping the faith and culture through the college.
Once again, the group took a break for lunch. After lunch, the group played several games including the Tunnel of Equanimity and the Circle of Interdependence led by Sagar Desai from the Jain Fellowship of Houston. Finally, the youth settled into the last discussion, again led by Gabriel as he helped us explore what to do with this realization of our identity as soul. Simply being aware of our thoughts, speech and actions can lead us to a simpler, better life with more happiness and less pain. In closing we showed a silent appreciation of each other by taping a paper plate to our back and allowing the other participants to freely write any comments giving us something to take back as a momento of the con
ference.
YOUNG JAINS OF AMERICA
The night held a formal Tex-Mex dinner and dance at a nearby party hall, where we all enjoyed thoroughly. Sunday morning, the youth met at the Jain center and departed for their homes across Texas, reveling on the fun they had had, the learning they had done, and the friends they had made. Each youth was happy that they had come and looked forward to the next event where they would be together again.
SOUTHEAST
By Mona D. Shah
"God shows the light, but you have to find the way yourself." Gurudev Chitrabhanu.
Whoever thought that one weekend at a Jain conference could have such an impact on someone's life? This year's Southeast Regional Conference was held at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Washington, D.C. from November 24-26. A group of 32 young Jains gathered from different parts of the Eastern U.S. to learn and discuss more about Jainism. Because of the wide range of ages, there were many different perspectives given on the variety of topics addressed. The first day of the conference was basically spent settling in. As everyone arrived, lunch was served during opening speeches given by conference directors- Rina L. Shah & Harriti J. Shah. Icebreakers were set up so that everyone could get to know each other.
The first seminar began with an open question/answer session led by Harriti J. Shah. Later that evening, everyone divided into two groups and explored the city's Greek and Mexican cuisine. Late night found people hanging out listening to music, playing s such as Taboo, & exchanging stories. games
46/JAIN DIGEST SPRING 2001
Early Saturday morning, we began with different seminars ranging from topics such as 'Karma' to topics such as the 'Significance of the Jain time [Chokra] cycle.' The keynote speaker that day was Dhrumil Purohit, from Delaware, who brought forth ideas and facts on Veganism that many could not imagine. The next discussions, titled as "Real World Sessions" were split into three age groups where youth questioned & addressed curious topics such as: dating, Jain youth in our generation (is there a generation gap?), vegetarians/vegans in today's society, etc. Many found this to be the most memorable/enjoyable part of the conference. That night, everyone went out together for Thai cuisine. Everyone had a great time whether they spent it joking around, getting to know each other, or trying authentic Thai dishes. The last night spent in D.C. was very relaxing while people discussed what they learned and hung out with their new friends.
Sunday was too soon to arrive! The conference officially ended that day. Everyone said his/her good-byes and went their separate ways. Some people decided to stay into the afternoon and explore D.C. in the daytime.
I know that the Southeast Regional Conference weekend truly touched the hearts of all that attended. Conference directors Rina L. Shah, the YJA Southeast Regional Coordinator, and Harriti J. Shah, the Young Jains of Maryland President, did an extraordinary job handling everything from creating creative seminar topics to arranging entertaining activities that tied in with Jainism. All attendees had the chance to learn how to apply Jainism to our everyday lives.
We were all happy leaving with the feeling that the past weekend had been well worth it. Because of Rina and Harriti's numerous hours of hard work and dedication, this Southeast Regional Conference was extremely successful and definitely a memorable experience for all who were there.
WEST
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