________________
Kashayas. The Inner Enemiass
Compiled by Kavit Haria
GREED
A greedy person is not satisfied with what he has. To get more, a person may use all the means without caring for the others. Whatever we gain is someone else's loss. The greed prevents us from giving and sharing. We should be content with what we have and only accumulate to meet our needs. We should learn to help others by sharing what we have. By being greedy we are destroying the peace but by being content and caring we are bringing the peace back.
EGO
One who is full of ego looses his sense of judgment and politeness. A proud man invites his own destruction. We can obtain the knowledge only if we are humble. Humility brings good thoughts where there is no room for the pride or ego. Humility is at the root of religion and it is rather difficult to develop religious feelings as long as ego exists.
"A proud man invites his own destruction..."
Atul Shah
DECEIT
Deceit is responsible for a dishonest life. Due to deceit one loses friends but honesty is the key to realize the truth. A deceitful person has little understanding of religion.
Jain Education International
Kavit Haria is a young writer, active YJ member and soon-to-be geneticist. See Award Winners page for more details about Kavit.
Message from the YJ Founder...
Reflecting on the past twenty years of Young Jains, there are two words which strike - innovation and creativity. Young Jains was and is a youth charity run by and for young people. And that gave us a tremendous opportunity to experiment and translate Jainism to the twenty first century. We were the first Jain organisation in UK to have a quality newsletter, to organise regular shibirs (training retreats), to have international conferences, to build bridges between Jains in UK and North America, to invest in children's education, to globalise our reach and of course to produce the unique Jain Spirit global magazine. We were daring, intelligent and determined. Above all, we strived to be honest and true to our ancient wisdom. And this had a very wide impact - Young Jains Nairobi has grown leaps and bounds, there is a thriving Young Jains organisation in India (something which started in UK!) and through inviting eminent speakers from outside the community, we opened new networks and horizons for Jainism. We also broke narrow sectarian boundaries and tried to live and work as one culture and community.
This is an abridged version of an article first printed in the Young Jains newsletter in October 2003.
However, the early days were very, very hard. Very few could understand our vision and dedication. There was little support from 'elder', more mature organisations. Many dismissed us as dreamers. We raised our own funds, developed our own activities and delivered them with high quality. We cultivated leaders and teams, and made sure no one leader dominated the organisation. Presidents served a maximum of three years even though there was no such rule in the constitution. Other organisations emerged through Young Jains. Even some marriages arose from young Jains members - helping them start a new family and life. As we look back, we must also look forward. There is huge talent and resource in our community. I find it shocking that so many young Jains are not members of this organisation. We need to reach out more and involve more people. The campus branches are an excellent leap forward, but they need to be supported and sustained. The next twenty years pose very exciting challenges but we must tackle them and rise.
For Per55al & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
