Jain Digest 2009 03 Vol 28 No 1

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

Page 22

meditation or Sufi dancing, skits or celebrations that initially draws someone, he says the underlying purpose is atma nirikshan and atma shuddhi through inner transformation. To get this, one has to have a passionate goal for self-purification Dr Kumarpal Desai was a guest speaker who gave a heart warming talk on "Shradhha" and on the meaning of a "Guru". Another guest speaker, Ms Smruti Chaitainya from the Chinmaya Mission in London also spoke very eloquently. There were various cultural programs as part of the evening celebrations All in all, this was a retreat experience like no other. Ringing in the New Year completely soaked in bhakti and satsang. What better way to welcome the dawn of 2009! For those who missed the retreat or want to hear Pujya Shree's satsangs and other ashram activities, can visit Dharampur Ashram;s website www.shrimadrajchandradharampur.org. Here you can click webcast link and watch all of 2009 satsangs given by Pujya Shree via webcast. There is no cost for this service.
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NORTHEAST FREEZE IN DIVINITY - A Wonderful Spiritual Experience Imagine some 900 people gathered on New Year's Eve for an all night bhakti program. Now imagine teenagers and young adults, some even born and raised in America, participating in such an all-nighter staying up without even a wink. Sounds unthinkable? But that's exactly what happened at the last New Year's Eve New Jersey Retreat Akhand Bhakti program that was inspired by Pujya Shree Rakeshbhai Jhaveri. Such a bhakti bash is a regular occurrence on New Year's Eve at the Dharampur Ashram. A few hundred people, young and old, instead of drinking and partying the night away, chose to ring in the new year getting intoxicated on something spiritual and divine. They immersed themselves passionately in devotional bhakti songs and meditative dancing Past December, Pujya Shree Rakeshbhai Jhaveri was on an overseas dharmayatra visiting Europe and North America - London, Toronto, Dallas, Phoenix and New Jersey. The Dharmayatra culminated with a Retreat program "Freeze in Divinity" at the Double Tree Hotel in Somerset, N J from December 28 - January 1, 2009 ending on a climactic high note of Akhand Ratri Bhakti on New Year's Eve. The four day New Jersey Retreat "Freeze in Divinity" was a practical tutorial in the art of living, a unique experience, and a joyful spiritual journey. It was a potent mix of deeply pbilosopbical satsangs, touching personal experience sharing, devotional bbakti sangeet, soothing meditative Sufi dancing and enjoyable but deeply pbilosopbical and spiritual cultural programs. What draws people to Pujya Shree Rakeshbhai may be the depth of his satsangs but what transforms them is the love and devotion people feel for him. This love and devotion is the common thread that ties all the beads of his offerings. He says, "Be as you are and add spirituality to what you are doing. Then let nature take it's course. The inner transformation and peace will be the natural by-products". He adds "There are many paths that lead to moksha and you must choose one when you start out but remember that all of them merge at the top and take you there". Pujya Shree commented that there was nothing wrong with creating a nice ambience and a wonderful Mahol in a retreat environment, but one has to be clear about distinguishing between the end and the means. Let not the variety of activities and format mislead anyone. Whether it is music or singing or
The Jain Center of New Jersey The Jain Center of New Jersey (CNJ) is one of the oldest Jain organizations in North America. It was established in 1981 at Essex Fells, NJ. Since then the JCNJ has grown from a handful of families to one of the leading Jain communities in North America. with significant and continued membership growth (1000 families), it is now necessary to have more space to host all the activities the Center holds throughout the year. JCNJ is planning a new Derasar to be built on 9.6 acres in Franklin Township located in Somerset County in central NJ. The Derasar will have a total area of 5200 sq. ft. and a seating capacity of approximately 340 persons. The assembly building, connected to the Derasar by a hallway, will be a bilevel structure with a total area of approximately 44,000 sq. ft. Five (5) idols of Tirthankars will be installed. When facing the Ghabhara, the position of the five idols will be as follows: Mul-Nayak: Munisuvratswami 41" Right Side: Mahavirswami 37" Far Right: Vasupujyaswami 37" Left Side: Simandharswami 37" Far Left: Shankheshwar Parshwanath 37". All five idols were taken to KULPAKJI, Hyderabad, India for AnjanShalaka. Anjan-Shalaka was performed by. Acharya Rajyashsuriji Maharaj on Dec. 7, 2008. Nearly 75 JCNJ
Jain Digest Winter 2009