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Jain meetings by Aalok Shah and Binit Shah
The Jain Study Center was a major part of our childhood. Every month on a Sunday, we would get together with the other members of the Jain community in the area. The children would memorize prayers and stories to recite every month in those meetings. At that time, we did not understand the importance of memorizing and reciting these things, but they stayed with us long after the meetings. Among the many things we learned were the Navakar Mantra, the story of Mahavir Swami's life and enlightenment, and the important tenets (such as ahimsa) that make up Jainism.
What we learned in the monthly Jain meetings helped us to gain a cultural and religious identity. It is often hard as kids in America to build and maintain such an identity. It is difficult to learn about one's culture even with parents' examples. What is needed, and what the Jain Study Center provided, was a community through which we could learn about and experience Jainism.
The Jainism we learned over the years now provides us with a foundation for understanding and evaluating the world around us. We know how we should live, and why. Not only do we know mantras and rituals, but we know the meanings behind them. Our knowledge of Jainism helps us to understand other religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, that we encounter every day.
As kids, the Jain Study Center gave us a chance to learn about Jainism for ourselves, in an organized manner. The knowledge we gained helped us develop an identity. Today, that teaching still affects us in the way we live and view the world.
Aalok Shah is an engineer, working in California. Binit Shah is currently studying Computer Science at Duke University.
I am Thankful for...
...the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends. ... the taxes I pay because it means that I'm employed. ...the clothes that fit, a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat. ...my shadow who watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine. ...the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means
I am capable of walking. ...all the complaining I hear about our government because it means We have freedom of speech.
Jain Education International
...the lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means
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I can hear. ...the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved one are nearby.
... weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means
I have been productive. ...a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home. ...my huge heating bill because it means that I am warm.
Author unknown: JSCNC recognizes and gives full credit to the original author.
... the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means that
I'm alive.
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