Jain Digest 2004 07 Vol 23 No 3

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

Page 8

which she also participated.
The Montserrat Assembly: Montserrat, 56 kilometers northwest of Barcelona at the summit of Catalonia's 1,200 meters high holy mountain. Montserrat has a spectacular monastery
founded in 1025. The landscape is simply breathtaking Swami Devendrakeertyji, Naresh Jain and sisters Hema and Manda Pokharna joined this assembly of 400 representatives and participated in working groups over a three-day period. Nirav Shah from US and Karishma Shah from UK were
awarded scholarships in the Parliament Academy and were invited to Montserrat.
July7: The Inaugural day of the Barcelona Parliament I had to report to the Forum stage at opening plenary session with four monks and nuns for recital of Jain prayers and blessings. The Parliament Peace Pole given by the World Peace Prayer Society was laid down by Ela Gandhi. The message on peace pole, "May Peace Prevail on Earth" was also inscribed in Hindi. Dr. C. D.Shah, President of Federation of Jain Social Group in India along with several Jains who had arrived earlier attended the ceremonies and felt very proud that the letters in Hindi were a great honor to India. The World Peace Flame was lit by uniting flames of peace lit by peacemakers on five continents, flown across the world and united into one.
Diane Goldin of Goldin Institute: Samani Punya Pragya. Hema Pokharna, Diane Goldin of Goldin Institute, Chicago, Mahesh Gandhi and Anop Vora exploring cooperative efforts together in future
Inspired by Gandhi's and several other models of social transformation, the work of the 2004 assemblies focused on four issues, with a view to make a significant contribution for positive change around these issues, and, perhaps more importantly, to model new ways for religious and spiritual communities to work with other guiding institutions in seeking a better world. The issues were: Supporting refugees worldwide; Eliminating international debt for developing countries; Overcoming religiously motivated violence; and Increasing access to clean water.
The opening plenary session on July 7th evening was addressed by 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi. Other highlights included a Music and meditation with Sri Chinmoy. At the end of the session, Jain prayers and blessings recited in Prakrit by Jain monks and nuns- that were followed by a comprehensive translation in English narrated by Naresh Jain simultaneously translated into Spanish and Catalan by the Forum staff. The concise and effective way of sharing of the Jain prayers within the assigned time limit was appreciated by Rev. Dirk Ficca, Executive Director of the Parliament who labeled it as a true example of the practice of Jainism. The divine vibrations of the recital supported by the distribution of a comprehensive flyer about the Jain Blessings and upcoming Presentations during that week, opened the doors for Jain presence at this international stage. It brought numerous activists, educators and enthusiasts from press, television, academia and interfaith groups in contact with monks, nuns and presenters; as well as visits to the JAINA Exhibition Booth.
We were in different groups: Manda and Swamiji went to the refugee's issue, Naresh to the debt for the poor and Hema to clean water. On second day, Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 Nobel Peace prize Laureate was in my working group seated next to me. Drawing on her
commitment as a Muslim to "uphold justice" and her respect for all faiths, Ebadi has struggled courageously for women's rights in Iran and throughout the Islamic Middle East. Listening to her experience of working for peace and human rights as a woman in the Islamic world was a unique opportunity and enriching experience. She was unaware about Jainism as a religion. When I informed her that its dominating theme is nonviolence, which had influenced Mahatma Gandhi, she called her daughter to join the conversation. I was fortunate to discuss the teachings of Jainism for about half an hour through an interpreter in
Anop Vora, Naresh Jain and Ela Gandhi granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa in a lighter moment. Devendrakeertiji in the background
July 8: Day2 was our first full day at the Barcelona Parliament. We started assembling the exhibition booth Panel members on Jain programs from other faiths started contacting us at the booth. Our program flyer distributed in the opening session started working. It became popularly known as yellow flyer' and JAINA booth as 'number 40'. Jain programs were
6. JAIN DIGEST FALL 2004
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