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JUNE 2013
PRABUDDHA JIVAN
35
SEVENTH TIRTHANKAR BHAGWAN SUPARSHWANATH
Ruler of Varanasi King Pratishthasen and queen Prithvi ers loosing their beauty glow. In summer he noticed the worswere living happily in the kingdom. The king was very under- ening of the nature. standing and loving by nature. He loved his people and the He was feeling unhappy. It made him think about the life people also loved him very much.
also. He asked himself, "Does this apply to life also ? Will When the queen was pregnant both of them once were my life also loose its charm one day? It seems that nothing sitting & enjoying the nature. The queen gave birth to a son is for ever. who was named Suparshwanath. The prince was also na- When he became the king, he ruled for very few years ture loving. When he grew up he started asisting the king, and gave responsibility to his son. His son was crowned as Suparshwanath was very intelligent and clever enough to a king and he started doing spiritual practices. Then he atrule the kingdom.
tained omnicient. He attained Nirvan on the sixth day of the Once upon a time while he was sitting on the terrace he dark half of the month of Falgun. He also attained Nirvan at was impressed by the beautiful nature. He also admired the Sammedshikhar. greenery and different flowers which were very beautiful. Moral: Everything every time may not be the same. When the Even the crops were blooming and dancing in the fields. He change occurs it may not be of your liking. Do not be depressed. noticed some of the trees loosing their leaves and some flow
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MASSAGE FROM: VATICAN CITY CHRISTIANS AND JAINS : JOINING HANDS TO PROMOTE FAMILIES AS SEEDBEDS OF PEACE
MESSAGE FOR THE FEAST OF MAHAVIR JAYANTI-2013
Dear Jain Friends, 1. The Pontical Council for Interreligious Dialogue extends
warm greetings and felicitations as you devoutly commenmorate, on 23rd April this year, the Birth Anni- versary of Tirthankar Vardhman Mahavir. May this feast fill your hearts and homes and that of your friends and well-wishes with serenity, peace and joy, strengthening
a sense of belonging in your families and communities 2. In an age characterized by increasing instances of intol
erance and violence in different parts of the world, affecting the harmonious co-existence of people, occasions such as this, besides offering us, adherents of diverse religions a momentous opportunity for spiritual advance ment, also remind us to practice karuna (compassion) and ahimsa (non-violence) and to reflect upon our shared responsibility in promoting peace. As members of one larger human family, we are called upon to contribute generously towards making our own families as seed-
beds of peace 3. A healthy family, as we know, is one that is built on sound
spiritual and ethical values where the innate dignity of each member is affirmed and protected in an atmosphere of respect, equality, openness and love. There the members, led by the exemplary lives of parents and elders, learn how to care for and share with others, patiently bearing with one another and submitting themselves, in a spirit of solidarity, to a common code to ensure har. monious and peaceful coexistence and the good of the family. The family is, therefore, one of the indispens
able social subjects for the achievement of a culture of peace' as it is there the peacemakers, tomorrow's prom oters of a culture of life and love are born and nurtured'
(Pope Benedict XVI. Message for the World Day of
Peace, 2008). 4. As the primary school and agency of peace, it is the fam
ily that sets the tone for peace in the greater human familyie., the world community. If humanity is to live in peace, needless to say, it ought to draw inspiration from values that form the bedrock of families: learning to respect the other in his/her 'otherness' and working together in
honesty and solidarity for the common good. 5. Unfortunately, due to the rise in the materialistic and com
petitive individualistic tendencies in today's globalized world, adherence to these values and principles that bind the family members into one single unit has been adversely affected threatening cohesion, cooperation and co-existence in the families and this naturally finds its
echo at the macro level as well. 6. Grounded in our shared conviction that we are all brothers
and sisters called to form one great human family and conscious of our moral rsponsibility as part of that call, may we, Christians and Jains, nurture, first of allthoughts, words and gestures of peace in our own respective homes and secondly, joining hands with others, so as to promote families as the seedbeds of peace to build a humanity at peace. Wishing you all A HAPPY MAHAVIR JAYANTI !
Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran
President
SODNA
94999
