Federation of Jain Associations in North America
JAINA Education Committee
Jain eLibrary
Jain Study Center of North Carolina and Jaina Education Committee jointly held a 3 day workshop for learning the “Fundamentals of Jainism and how to apply Jain principles in daily life” in Raleigh, North Carolina on October 6-8, 2017.
Forty eight (48) people from 13 different states and one person from Britain attended this workshop. About 60% attendees were less than 50 years old and several of them were borne / raised in USA.
Simple Vegan food was served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for all three days. No fried foods were served as a way to promote healthy living.
All paper products such as plates, bowls, napkins, and glasses were from recycled materials. The attendees appreciated the use of bio degradable and eco friendly paper products.
The workshop was moderated and presented by Pravin K Shah of Jaina Education Committee.
The topics included were Fundamental concepts of Jainism, Four Anuyogs and their limitations, Six Dravyas, Nine Tattvas, Karma Philosophy Five Samvays and the concept of Anekantwad, Holistic Spirituality, which includes Ahimsa, Compassion, Health, Environment, and Spirituality. A detailed explanation on “How one can live a life with minimum violence” was provided. A brief overview of Jain Agam scriptures was also included during this workshop.
Diversity of World Religious Expressions covering a brief overview of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism and a brief comparison between Western (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) and Eastern Religions were discussed.
The workshop presentation (ppt) files can be downloaded from the following link. The link also contains pre-requisite reading material files, which you can also download.
http://www.jainlibrary.org/$workshop/.index.php
The link will be removed once all material is migrated to Jain eLibrary website (www.jainelibrary.org)
All attendees appreciated the opportunity to learn and vowed to return if more of these sessions were to be held in future.
Attached is a picture of all the attendees and volunteers who participated in this event.
Thank you and Regards,
Bhairav Shah
President, Jain Study Center of North Carolina
Pravin K Shah
Jaina Education Committee