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LIFESTYLE
JOY OF FAMILY PILGRIMAGE
Tushar Shah recalls the fulfilment of his family reunion pilgrimage to India
the precious times we have together. Our family pilgrimage to India, however, was in many ways a much more intense and fruitful experience than the others we have had. We were visiting important Jain sites on a daily basis, interacting with an environment very foreign to the one we now live in, witnessing the extreme poverty and extreme beauty of India. We were bombarded by the shouts of our bus driver's assistant as he helped make way for our bus through a never-ending sea of people, animals and vehicles. We delighted at the smells of intense spices emanating from the kitchens of the dharma shalas we stayed at. We appreciated the sights and smells of the flowers that had recently bloomed. Besides these many experiences, our minds were challenged by spiritual, philosophical and economic thoughts. How could it be that in this place of Mahavir's birth there are so few Jains left? How could it be that Bihar is now one of the 10 poorest states in India? What must have this land been like when Mahavir lived in it? What part of this land and its people is part of us, part of our identities? What could we do to help the people of Bihar? These were but a few of the questions we posed to ourselves and to each other as we made our way along our journey.
Pilgrimage to Sammet Shikhar
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201 leven members of our family recently returned from India where we undertook a twelve-day pilgrimage through the state of Bihar, starting from Patna and culminating with the completion of the Shikharji Jaatra. We want to share our thoughts, not on the many religious sites themselves (see Mr. Sobhag Shah's wonderful article on a pilgrimage to Sammet Shikhar in Issue 5), but rather on the merits of a family pilgrimage in general. All together we were four sisters, two brothers, two husbands, two wives and a son, ranging in age from twenty-eight to over sixty-five and coming from different parts of the world - London, Toronto, Boston and New York City. Most of the members of the older generation grew up in Kenya before migrating west during their 20s. I grew up in the US where I still live. About two years ago, a few family members came up with this idea. After much research and planning the trip became a reality in March 2001.
In spite of the increasing geographic separation, our family has been fortunate to maintain close ties through the aid of telephone, email, and of course the many experiences we share. Whether we come together at a family wedding (almost a yearly experience lately!) or at a shared vacation, we all cherish
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Jain Spirit December 2002 February 2003
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Jain Education International 2010_03
We often discussed Jainism, which helped even the most knowledgeable among us become more familiar with Jainism and closer to it. We started many of the days with a 'thought for the day' inspired by Jain teachings. These thoughts included control of anger, listening carefully to others, forgiveness and respecting each other's point of view. These are the teachings that we all try to live by every day. However, being on vacation without the many responsibilities of everyday life gave us all the time to reflect on these teachings and focus on actually practising them.
We stayed at the wonderful Veerayatan Ashram at Rajgir for four days. We were very impressed by the charity work they do and the serene and peaceful environment they have created. In addition to a hospital and a library with many volumes of important Jain scholarship, they have built a Jain museum, which includes a series of beautifully
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