27.01.2017 ►JAINA ►Newsletter @ HereNow4U

Federation Of Jain Associations in North America

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Jai Jinendra!

JAINA delegates along with me are visiting India. At present we are attending Veerayatan Global Convention at Kutch, Gujarat.

JAINA delegates also inaugurated Eye and Dental camp at Bidada, Kutch Gujarat.

We will publish more details of JAINA Delegation's visit to India soon.

Sincerely,

Ashok Domadia
JAINA President
Chairman - JAINA BOD

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Greed even for a piece of straw, not to speak of precious things, produces sin. A greedless person, even if he wears a crown, cannot commit sin.

- Bhagwan Mahavir

KNOW YOUR TIRTHANKAR

Arnath Bhagwan is the 18th Tirthankar of the Avsarpani kaal. He was born to King Sudarshan and Queen Maha Devi in the city of Hastinapur. He attained nirvana at Samet Shikhar and had 33 Gandhars. He took 3 bhavs after Samyak Darshan to attain moksh. The topic of his first sermon was to get rid of Rag and Dwesh.

4 Kashayas –Krodh,Maan, Maya, Lobh (Anger, Pride, Deceit, Greed) can be grouped into 2 categories - Raag (Attachment) and Dwesh (Hatred). Raag is formed from Maya and Lobh and Dwesh is formed from Krodh and Maan. Spiritually our goal should be to get rid of wordly life and become liberated, but when we live in attachment and hatred we hinder the spiritual progress of the soul. We, human beings are opportunistic and when we are deprived of what we want than we react with anger and in same way if we do not get the fame we think we deserve, our ego gets hurt and we react irrationally. Therfore in reality even the anger and ego are caused by the liking and it is nothing but one form of attachment (raag). In other words attachment is the single route of all our Kshaya. So those who have conquered attachment are called vitragi means one who has no attachment. Therefore instead of reacting with more kashaya, we should stay calm in order to break the cycle of life and death.

JAIN STORY

Long ago in the city of Srichandra, King Tarapida had a minister named Sumitra. He was a devoted shravak, and he regularly practiced samayik, pratikraman, and other religious rites. One day, the king asked Sumitra why he had overloaded himself with all these worthless activities. He wanted to know what he achieved out of them, and suggested that he should give up these things so he may have a pleasant life.

Sumitra told the king, "Instead of discouraging me, you should help me in carrying out these activities. You or anyone should know that good deeds help in one’s well-being."

One day, the minister finished his duties at the court and went home. This was the fourteenth lunar day, known as chaturdasi. He was fasting that day. He was late to perform pausadha at the temple. So he vowed not to leave his house during the night until sunrise and sat down in pratikraman.

During the night, a messenger came and told Sumitra that the king wanted to see him. The minister told him he could not see the king at that time. The king sent another message to tell him that if he did not go to the king at once, he should resign his office and hand over his royal seal.

Sumitra decided to continue his vow. He told the messenger to peak up the royal seal and tell the king that he would not be able to come.On the way back the messenger was killed by a group of armed men.

When the king heard of the messenger’s death, he grabbed an open sword, and left to go to the temple. He felt certain that Sumitra had a hand in this murder. On the way, he found his messenger who was lying dead with some armed men around him. He asked the men, "Why did they kill this man?"

They said, "We are armed men of King Surasen from Dharavar and came here to kill the minister Sumitra.

The king told them who he was. The man got scared and surrendered to him. He thought, "It is good that Sumitra did not come. His vow saved him."

The king’s anger cooled down. He reached Sumitra’s house. He told Sumitra, "If you had not been performing your vow today, you would have been killed. This would have been a terrible tragedy for the kingdom. I reinstate you to your office. I am sorry for what I did to you." This event turned the king to be a very religious person. The king met with Acharya Purnachandra, and accepted the vows of a shravak. The court was turned into a spiritual assembly. Sumitra now became even more special to the king, and the king did many good things for his people and his kingdom.

Jain Center Update

Recently, Jain Society of Houston celebrated India's republic day on January 22, 2017. Kids sang Nanha Munna Rahi, performed patriotic dance and shadow play on Bharat Humko Jaan Se Pyara Hai. Event was followed by lunch.

Jain Center of America had Gautam Swami Pujan on January 22, 2017. Here are some Pujan photographs:

YJA

Registration for the YJA Mid-Atlantic, Mid-West and South Regional Retreats is now open at yja.org! Phase 1 of registration for Mid-Atlantic and Mid-West retreats ends 1/29 so secure your spot today. These events are open to youth between the ages of 14 and 29. #YJARetreats2017

COMPETITION

JAINA is hosting Story Writing Competition based on 'Usefulness of Religious Knowledge in our Daily Life'. The best story will get published in our newsletter and at www.jaina.org. Please send your entries to [email protected] by 18th February, 2017.

Competition Rules:
1. Age: No bar
2. Articles should be in English language and maximum 300 words long in a word file.
3. Writing style must be clear and easy to understand.
4.Please write your name, address and phone number along with the story.
5. Story is welcomed from anywhere in the world.

Jain Meditation Word Search

Out of 4 types of Dhyans, Mantra-based Dharma Dhyan (righteous meditation) is contemplation about the five supreme benevolent personalities and about the nature of soul with the help of mantras. The meditator visualizes a mantra written at a predetermined spot such as the front of the nose or in between the eyebrows and concentrates on it. In this meditation, the contemplation about the pure souls is done with an aspiration to purify one's soul by eliminating karma. One easy and practical way to conduct this meditation is to visualize a lotus having eight petals near the heart. Written on five of the petals are the five lines of Namokar Mantra.

1.We revere the supreme human beings (Arahantas).
2.We revere the perfect souls (Siddhas).
3.We revere the master teachers (Acharyas).
4.We revere the scholarly sages (Upadhyayas).
5.We revere all the ascetics (Sadhus).

Search above highlighted words in puzzle below:

To get the answer please visit website