Jain Spirit 2002 10 No 12

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 23

Avoid Life's Traffic Jams
at home inside the temple. I did not see any act of greed or violence - it was as if there was a very peaceful community of souls who did not want to preach but simply live a good life without hurting anyone. Any scientist witnessing the pooja would be touched by the experience, provided they opened both their hearts and their minds. Here lies sustainable living in practice, conducted quietly and deliberately without any fanfare.
After the pooja, the Jain walks home barefoot, in the same way that he came. He re-enters the world of family, work, business or profession. Often, this becomes a messy world, very different
Above : Amit Shah inviting people by blowing
a conch
earth, and all religions are full of dogma and against reason. However, in reality, most Indian traditions should not be labelled as religions in the western sense because they are actually dharma, the sciences of sustainable living. They are far from dogmatic, and are open to rational debate and analysis. They are directly intertwined with culture and everyday life, and cannot be observed or studied in isolation from this. In many ways, Indian spiritual traditions have made invaluable contributions to modern science.
Still, I would like to invite a sceptic to come and observe the Jains. They do not need to believe what I write, simply to come and see for themselves. Come and enter a Jain temple in the early morning and experience the atmosphere. The design of the temple is simple yet beautiful. There is plenty of natural light and the temperature is cool. It is very clean inside and in their pooja the Jains give a morning bath to the Tirthankaras and pray that their virtues rub on themselves. These enlightened teachers taught us the science of sustainable living through non-violence, nonpossessiveness and reverence for all living beings. The worshippers seek inspiration and remind themselves of the values of peaceful co-existence - love, non-materialism and simplicity. The cloth mask that they wear encourages them to recite only pure words and stops them from accidentally breathing in any insects and injuring them during the act of worship. Self-purification is the primary objective of their pooja.
The ingredients used in the pooja are also very simple and ecological - water, rice, flowers and saffron. Nothing is wasted. Inside the temple one sees people silently going about their worship, not arguing nor talking with one another. People of all ages come to worship, especially on a Sunday when schools are closed and children have more time. I found it fascinating to watch the children, and it appeared as if they were playing and decorating the Lord, who was their friend and hero at the same time. Everyone felt relaxed and
Left: Reading and reciting
Below : Singing and chanting
sacred hymns
from the temple, where one has to engage with people, get involved in transactions and make practical compromises. It is noisy and one is forced to negotiate the traffic jams of daily existence. This seems far removed from the peaceful sanctuary of the temple. The sceptic may argue once again that the worship was useless and did not change a thing. I know, because I was also a sceptic once.
September - November 2002. Jain Spirit
21