Jain Spirit 2005 09 No23

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

Page 49

members, was afraid of these individuals. My parents, however, never participated in any violent actions or associated themselves with what was going on. They were very clear about keeping me away from any of that energy. In fact, they stood up as positive examples, heroes for the community. I can remember being occasionally woken up at 2 or 3 AM by my parents because they heard that someone needed help in a domestic violence situation or that their kids were not being treated properly. My parents were very loving that way. They would do these things because they saw it as their duty to be community citizens. With regards to the Black Panthers, while I don't condone the violence that my extended family participated in, I do respect the desire for things to change. When I combined that mentality with the teachings of non-violence from my family, I started to see how I enjoyed standing up for the underdog and teaching individuals. Q: One of the pivotal points of your life was when you became vegetarian. Could you tell us more about how that happened? Is it true that in your early teens you started having dreams about being a vegetarian? A: Yes. When I was thirteen years old, I started having dreams about just eating fruits and vegetables. They would just happen over and over again. It was really weird for me because I had never even heard of the word vegetarian. I didn't even know anyone that didn't eat meat. After my dreams I would wake up in the middle of the night and go to look in the mirror and just look at myself for a few minutes. Looking back on it, what I feel my soul was doing was contemplating its identity and saying that this is what I want to be. I eventually went to a dictionary and looked up what a vegetarian was and it said it was someone who didn't eat meat, fish, dairy or eggs. So I said, "Yeah, this is what I want to be." I pretty much ate any vegetables and fruits I could get my hands on. My mom would just buy an extra bag of carrots or apples and I would eat that for an entire meal. Q: What internal thoughts and ideas made you feel you wanted to change your name? A: I was born Darrell Lamont Hubbard and from a young age it was instilled in me that the surname Hubbard was a slave owner's surname from many generations ago. A few of my family members had changed their names as a way to signal their intent of moving away from societal constraints and shackles. I chose to change my name because it was an energy that I didn't feel represented me adequately. The reason I chose Nature as a first name was because I felt anything in the universe could be called Nature; from the tiniest particle to our entire planetary system. I was signalling that the energy in me was the nature of the universe. I chose Love as the second part of my name because I wanted to represent unbiased compassion. Now I have my days and get upset at times, but that was the embodiment of what I wanted to become. My name will always serve as a reminder of the larger energy force that is inside us all. Q: How did you first encounter the teachings of Jain Dharma? A: In 1994 I bought an encyclopaedia on religion, and when I got to the different religions in India I just remember Jain Dharma as one of the practices that really amazed me. It sounded so consistent in regards to how someone could go about their way of life. It was just very fascinating that there could be an entire community that lived that way. After I met local Jain youth and became friends with them, I started working with them to share what knowledge and experiences I had. I attended Jain conventions and other community events. I feel appreciative for their ancestors' teachings and I see this as a way of me being able to give back for what I have received.
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ucation International