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At the request of Shree Basantraji Bhandari, Samani Prasanna Pragyaji and Samani Rohit Pragyaji visited Switzerland from 9th July to 14th July 2008. Smt Pushpaben Halai, a yoga instructor at JVB Centre London, accompanied them on the visit. They stayed at Shree Basantraji Bhandari’s house in Geneva. During their stay in Geneva, in addition to informal sessions of religious discourses and discussions, five workshops of more than one and half hours duration were held in which on an average more than 15 people participated consisting of Jains and non-Jains. These workshops covered Meditation, Yoga, Relaxation, and recitation of hymns as well as presentation on various subjects including anger and stress management, improving intuition power and developing positive thinking. As a result more than 100 people in Geneva benefited by gaining deeper insights and attaining valuable tools for leading happy and healthy life.
Samanijis at Basantrajji's house
Besides their stay in Geneva, Samanijis visited the Swiss capital city of Bern and also crossed into France. The programme in Bern on Saturday 12th was organized by Shree Subashji and Smt Madhuji Patil where more than 20 people joined from the cities of Bern and Zurich and other nearby towns. Indigenous Swiss also joined in the discourse. They appreciated discussion regarding basic principles of Jainism by Samani Prasanna Pragya. Samani Rohit Pragya conducted a separate two-hour session for the younger audience.
On Sunday 13th July, a pathshala on Jainism was held across the border in France at the house of Shree Rajanji and Smt Harshaji Dhanjee, which was attended by about twenty-five Jains. The programme started with a recitation of Jain prayer ‘Arhat Vandana’ followed by Samaniji’s discourse on the importance of pathshala. Samaniji inspired people to understand fundamental principles of Jainism, Meditation and Yoga. Samaniji explained the importance of Samayik, Pratikraman and the Jain festival of ‘Paryushan’.
On the whole the visit of the Samanijis to Switzerland was a great success as not only the Jains but also the larger community benefited from their visit. Jains of Geneva and Bern expressed their deep gratitude to the Samanijis. They requested them to visit them every year in order that Jainism attains the same majestic status as the Alps of Switzerland!