Northeastern University Jain Association

09/27/2016

Another one! Non Violence is natural! 👍🏼

09/12/2016

Little girl decides to go meatless, non violence is natural.

09/11/2016

09/06/2016

✿ On the ocassion of Universal Forgiveness Day ✿
Micchami Dukkadam_/l\_ मिच्छामि दुक्कडम_/l\_ મિચ્છામિ દુક્કડમ

Micchāmi Dukkaḍaṃ - मिच्छामि दुक्कडम - મિચ્છામિ દુક્કડમ is an ancient prakrit phrase literally meaning—may all the evil that has been done be fruitless.

In Jainism, forgiveness is one of the main virtues that needs to be cultivated by the Jains. Kṣamāpanā or supreme forgiveness forms part of one of the ten characteristics of dharma. In the Jain prayer, (pratikramana) Jains repeatedly seek forgiveness from various creatures—even from ekindriyas or single sensed beings like plants and microorganisms that they may have harmed while eating and doing routine activities. Forgiveness is asked by saying the phrase, Micchāmi Dukkaḍaṃ. During Samvatsari—the last day of Jain festival Paryusana—Jains say the phrase Micchami Dukkadam after pratikraman (Jain prayer, literally "introspection"). As a matter of ritual, they personally greet their friends and relatives micchāmi dukkaḍaṃ seeking their forgiveness. No private quarrel or dispute may be carried beyond samvatsari, and letters, whattsapp, sms and telephone calls are made to the outstation friends and relatives asking their forgiveness.

On this sacred day, every member of the Jain community approaches everyone, irrespective of religion, and begs for forgiveness for all their faults or mistakes, committed either knowingly or unknowingly. Thus relieved of the heavy burden hanging over their head of the sins of yesteryears, they start life afresh, living in peaceful co-existence with others. Indeed, this day is not merely a traditional ritual, but a first step on their path to liberation or salvation, the final goal of every man's life, according to the teachings of Jainism.

Pratikraman also contains the following prayer:-

Khāmemi savva-jīve savvë jive khamantu me /
metti me savva-bhūesu, veraṃ mejjha na keṇavi //
खम्मामि सव्व जीवेषु सव्वे जीवा खमन्तु में,
मित्ति में सव्व भूएसू वैरम् मज्झणम् केणवि
ખમેમી સવ્વે જીવા, સવ્વે જીવા ખામન્તુ મી
મિત્તી મેં સવ્વા ભુએસુ, વેરમ મજઝામ ના કેનાઈ

(I seek pardon from all living beings, may all living beings pardon me. May I have friendship with all beings and enmity with none.) Northeastern University Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service

09/05/2016

Best wishes all the way from our honorable Prime Minister!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼 Northeastern University Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service

09/04/2016

"Every soul is in itself absolutely omniscient and blissful. The bliss does not come from outside."

"All souls are equal and alike and have the similar nature and qualities."

"Every soul is independent. None depends on another."

"All Souls are alike and potentially divine. None is Superior or Inferior."

~ Lord Mahavira

09/02/2016

According to the Jain scriptures, the mother(Trishala) of Tirthankara Mahavira see a number of auspicious dreams when the embryo is enliven through the descent of the life (soul) in the mortal body. This is celebrated as Garbha Kalyanaka. According to the Digambara sect, the number of dreams is 16. While the Śvētāmbara sect believe them two be only fourteen. After seeing these dreams, she woke her husband King Siddhartha and told him about the dreams. The next day Siddhartha summoned the scholars of the court and asked them to explain the meaning of the dreams. According to the scholars, these dreams meant that the child would be born very strong, courageous, and full of virtue.

Dream of an elephant (Airavata)
Dream of a bull
Dream of a lion
Dream of Laxmi
Dream of flowers
Dream of a full moon
Dream of the sun
Dream of a large banner
Dream of a silver urn (Kalasha)
Dream of a lake filled with lotuses
Dream of a milky-white sea
Dream of a celestial vehicle (Vimana)
Dream of a heap of gems
Dream of a fire without smoke
Dream of a pair of fish (Digambara)
Dream of a throne (Digambara)
Northeastern University Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service

09/01/2016

"Namo Ayariyanam" "आचार्यों को नमस्कार"

08/31/2016

400 years ago, Jehangir banned animal slaughter in Sultanate during Jains 'Paryushan’

Paryushan is a period of penance where Jains avoid any form of violence, including consumption of green vegetables.

A 400-year-old scroll from the Mughal era, preserved in the Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum in Ahmedabad, reveals how Emperor Jehangir had banned animal slaughter during Paryushan, a Jain festival.

The first half of the document, about seven-feet in length, contains a pictorial depiction of deputation of Jains visiting Emperor Jehangir and securing a new imperial command or “farmaan”, under which the slaughter of animals was prohibited during the period of Paryushan. The second half contains a text written in Marwari language. Paryushan is a period of penance where Jains avoid any form of violence, including consumption of green vegetables.

“This valuable document containing the farmaan of Mughal Emperor was painted in the scroll form by Mughal court artist Ustad Salivahana in 1610 AD. The illustrated document was commissioned by the Jain community during that period,” says Professor Ratan Parimoo, director of the museum.

“It records the entire episode in an interesting manner and is a rare and precious document from the Mughal era,” Parimoo added. In the upper part of this colourful scroll, one can see the emperor seated on the balcony, while two Jain sadhus from Agra — Vivekaharsha and Udayaharsha — are seen carrying an application. The sadhus are being introduced by Raja Ramdasa, while Prince Khurram (third son of Jehangir who later came to be known as Shah Jahan) is standing on the left.
Below this court scene is depicted the proclamation of the “farmaan” in the bazaar and in the next part of the painted scroll, the two disciples of Vijayasena Suri (a Jain Acharya) presenting the farmaan to their Guru in the presence of other disciples. The document also contains an invitation to Vijayasena Suri, residing in Patan, Gujarat, to come and spend period of Paryushan in Agra.

The scroll also depicts how the Jain community celebrates after hearing about the imperial command being passed. This order was important as it was a continuation of tolerant policy previously adopted during Emperor Akbar’s reign,” the director of the museum explained.

A portion of this scroll was recently restored by the museum and the contents will now be part of a book .“This book, titled Jain Vastrapatas, will contain detailed references of this scroll from the Mughal era, along with other ancient Jain paintings on cloth and paper”.

Scroll depicting /jehangir-meat-ban-

08/30/2016

✿ Nails in Bhagawän Mahavir’s ears ✿

Twelve years of meditation and penance passed with great success for Lord Mahävir. His life was exemplary. He put forth unsurpassable examples of truth, non-violence, forgiveness, compassion, fearlessness, yoga and true knowledge.

In the thirteenth year he faced another calamity. Near the village of Shammani he stood in a meditation posture. Just as at the beginning of his asceticism, he met a cowherd who left his oxen in the care of Lord Mahävir.

The cowherd went into the village and returned a little later. The oxen had drifted away while grazing. Not finding his oxen, he asked, “Ascetic, where are my oxen?”

Mahävir was in deep meditation and unaware of all this. The cowherd asked again, and once again he did not get any response. He was irritated and shouted, “You hypocrite! Are you deaf, don’t you hear anything?”

Mahävir still did not respond. The cowherd became very angry, “You pretender, it seems that both your ears are useless. Wait a minute; I will fix your ears.” He picked long nail like thorns from a nearby shrub and pierced the ears of Mahävir deeply by hammering the thorns in.

Even such excruciating agony did not move Mahävir from his meditation; neither did it evoke any feeling of anger or aversion in him. Completing his meditation he went to the village for alms. He arrived at the door of a trader named Siddhärtha. A doctor friend of the trader was sitting with him. Both of them gave food to Mahävir-swämi with due respect.

The doctor told Siddhärtha, “Friend, the face of this monk has a divine glow but there is a shade of tiredness too. Some inner pain is visible in his eyes. I feel this great sage suffers from some inner agony.” Siddhärtha replied, “Friend, if such a great sage suffers from some kind of pain, we should immediately go with him and treat him.”

After taking alms Mahävir-swämi returned. The doctor and Siddhärtha followed him to the place where Mahävir-swämi rested. During examination the doctor found the thorns stuck in his ears. Seeing this, they arranged for the necessary instruments and medicines. They used some medicated oil and tongs and pulled out the thorns. This caused such unbearable agony to Mahävir that an anguished cry was forced out of him. The doctor dressed the wound with some coagulant. Mahävir continued to stand there calm and quiet in deep meditation.

Key Message:
In each incident of difficulty, we see the conquest of Mahävir’s soul and mind over his physical pain and suffering. His meditation and penance purified his soul. It helped him to separate himself from perishable and mortal worldly things, and concentrate on the liberation of his immortal soul. Northeastern University Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service

08/30/2016

Once Gautamswämi went to town for the alms. He was returning with the kheer (a sweet made from rice and milk) in a patra (bowl) when he saw fifteen hundred hermits. Gautamswämi felt that they were hungry and offered them the kheer. They began to wonder how Gautamswämi would feed all of them. Gautamswämi requested all of the hermits to sit down, and then he served everyone with the kheer with the help of Aksheenmahanasi (non-diminishing) Labdhi (special power). While serving the kheer, he kept his thumb in the kheer. To everyone's surprise they were all well served from the small patra (bowl). The hermits were all so impressed by Gautamswämi, that all fifteen hundred decided to take diksha (renunciation) from Lord Mahavir.