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JAIN DIGEST Winter 2007
to apply Jainism in the laboratory of life. Things make more sense when learners see that a real world application is possible. This is the direction JCNC's Pathshala plans to progress as innovative ideas on educating and putting the education to practice come to fruition.
Swadhyay
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JCNC has several Swadhyay groups that meet weekly, biweekly or monthly. The focus of each group is a little different in terms of the scriptures studied, language used, and the age groups they attract. Overall 80 to 100 people participate in the various Swadhyay groups. This unity in diversity is one of the most unique feature of JCNC, it is not uncommon for the same person attending or contributing to different Swadhyays. Sunday Swadhyay: The main objective of the Adult Swadhyay is to make Jain principles known to the Jain communities at large. It is a great resource for everyone interested in Jain philosophy. This class runs concurrent with Sunday Pathshala (2-3 times a month) to make "Pathshala" a "Family Event", as the youths go to Jain Shälä, the adults have an option to attend the Swadhyay. This has also helped in developing teachers for Jain Shälä. The mission of this class is: "Instill spiritual development, self-awareness, moral consciousness, social well-being, and Jain identity in individuals, based on the principles of Jainism and unite all Jains as was the case during the time of Lord Mahavir."
Jain Professionals). There are 15-25 participants meeting biweekly. The group has created a unique Learning Binder with a 15-lesson syllabus and 15 learning chapters, which are compilations of content from within, Internet research, JAINA resources, non-Jain resources, and various other books. The discussion is conducted in English, and a designated moderator leads a 15-minute introduction on the day's topic and then facilitates an hour-long interactive discussion using five questions prepared by the team, on that topic. From received feedback, attendees have been appreciative of having highly-organized forum where young professionals can meet regularly to have stimulating discussions on issues that are pertinent to daily life and that they may not be able to discuss anywhere else. Ultimately, the immeasurable component is how/whether each individual better applies Jain dharma in his/her daily life and, in turn, how s/he affects people around them. This group through Swadhyay and larger PBAJ group. wants to create a sense of community among young Jain professionals and help continue to make Jainism and Jain dharma relevant today, in our evolving world. For more information on the PBAJ Swadhyay, please contact: PBAJ@jcnc.org
For more information please visit http://www.jcnc.org/jainism/ jainism.html.
Terapanth Swadhyay: There are 12-15 participants in Thursday Swadhyay which takes place between 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm since last 12 years, inspired by Samans & Samanijis from Ladnun, Rajasthan, India. The main activity as the name implies is to study of Jainism/ Jain topics in depth. A predetermined topic based on Jain books/scripture is assigned to several participants, and is presented and discussed. Each participant gets a chance to prepare and Panditji (Jayeshbhai) helps to clarify the meanings. The Swadhyay is conducted in Gujarati, presentation from assigned reference or references by a teacher participant. Discussion follows when necessary. Generally a topic is continued for a year. (Example-Nav Tattava) Digambar Swadhyay: This group meets on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The topics discussed are different each week-day, and the same topic is continued on the same week day of the following week. The number of participants varies from 4 to 10. They are studying Chaha Dhaala, Ratnakarand Shraavakaachaar, and other topics. The Swadhyay is conducted in Hindi.
YJP Swadhyay (ages 21-40): This Swadhyay at JCNC is conducted by PBAJ (Professional Bay Area Jains), which is a youth arm of JCNC and an affiliate group to YJP (Young
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Mumukshu - Youth Swadhyaya: This group of 15 to 20 meets bi-weekly and also has a session on a conference call. Emphasis is placed on Shrimad Rajchandra Vachnamrut and Mokshamala. The discussion is conduced in English, and normally moderated by the facilitator Pramod Patel. Jain Center of Southern California, Buena Park (Los Angeles), California
Pathshala: 315 students, ages 3-18; Swadhyay: 365 adults More than a quarter century ago, in 1979, thirty Jain families living in Southern California established JCSC with an important mandate to practice, promote and teach Jainism with no sectarian bias. A Pathshala program was initiated almost immediately with an enrollment of 25 children. With the inauguration of the Jain Bhawan in 1988, the Pathshala activities shifted to the new facility. The classes were led by Mahendrabhai Khandhar and Girishbhai Shah and the enrollment jumped to almost 70 students. The curriculum was expanded to offer language classes; Gujarati taught by Sailes Jain, Hindi taught by Surendra Jain, and Jain Sootras taught by Savitaben Mehta. The enrollment continued to grow every year with the classrooms occupying practically every sq-ft of the Jain Bhawan. Sailes Jain has served as the Director of the Pathshala and the children's activities since 1995.
The size of the Jain community in Southern California and the scope of its activities have expanded significantly since 1988. The Pathshala with an enrollment of 70 students and a staff of three teachers in 1988 now caters to nearly 300 students and is managed by a staff of 70 teachers (several whom are
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