Us President Barack Obama remembered "Jain" while extending Diwali greetings

US President Barack Obama remembered "Jain"  while extending Diwali greetings.

Barack Obama, President of America extended his greetings from White House, Washington on the occasion of Diwali Thursday November 4, 2010.  He is looking  forward to visiting India in the next few days.
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'Tomorrow, Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists, here in America and around the world, will celebrate the holiday of Diwali - the festival of lights. This is a day when members of some of the world's oldest religion celebrate the triumph of good over evil,' President Obama said in a message. .


He reminded that he had lighted a 'Diya (lamp)' last year in the White House to mark the holiday of Deepavali. 'This lamp symbolizes the victory of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance,' said Barack Obama.



He  ended his message with his good wishes. The US President Barack Obama said,  'And to all those who will celebrate this joyous occasion on Friday, I wish you, your families and loved ones Happy Diwali and Saal Mubarak'.

President Obama will be in a four day visit to India from November 6, 2010. just after Diwali.

President Obama's Diwali Message for Jainism

Education camp (Swadhyay Shivir) on Jainism in Bikaner, Rajasthan

A three days Jain education camp (Swadhyay Shivir) was organized at Kushal Bhawan in Bikaner, Rajasthan between  October 23 to 26, 2010.

The camp was organized in the auspices of  Jain Nun Sadhwi Kalpalata Sri Ji etc. Sadhwi Kalpalata Sri ji is principle disciple of late Sadhwi Hemprabha Sri Ji. The educational camp ran in three shifts morning, afternoon and night. Approximately fifty gentlemen and ladies participated as students in this camp.

Jyoti Kothari, Jaipur led and taught Jainism through out the educational camp (Swadhyay Shivir).

Process of Chaturmas in Jain Agam

Chaturmas is near by. Jain Sangh at different places are preparing for chaturmas of Jain monks and nuns. It is the right time to know process of chaturmas as defined in various Jain Agam (Sacred Text).

Monks and nuns can not declare their chaturmas prior to samvatsari according to Jain agam "Kalpasutra".
Why?

If they do so, the house holds repairs, paints etc in the upashray or other places specified for chaturmas. Violence is involved in all these acts and the monks and nuns are held liable for these violence. Hence, they are not allowed to declare their chaturmas pre-samvatsari.

It is also said in Jain Agam (Shastra) that the monks and nuns ask house holds for accommodation. If they agreed monks and nuns can stay there for chaturmas. However, the present day practices are different. Shravak Sangh (Jain house holds) approach monks and nuns for chaturmas. If they agree they arrange for chaturmas. This practice is against Jain Agam.

Should all of us rethink?
Detailed post in Hindi

Thanks,
Jyoti Kothari

वर्त्तमान स्थिति में धार्मिक स्थलों के चुनाव: विचारनीय तथ्य

वर्त्तमान युग प्रजातंत्र का युग है. बिभिन्न सरकारी निकायों में निरंतर चुनाव होते रहते हैं चाहे वो लोकसभा हो या विधान सभा. पंचायत हो या नगर पालिका. इन में राजनीती होती ही रहती है. अलग अलग राजनैतिक दल मतदाताओं को लुभाने एवं अपने पक्ष में करने के लिए तरह तरह के हथकंडे अपनाते हैं. अधिकतर समय ये हथकंडे नैतिकता की सीमायें लांघ जाते हैं.

इसी प्रकार बिभिन्न सार्वजनिक संस्थाओं के भी चुनाव होते रहते हैं. उनमें भी स्वार्थ परक राजनीति की दूषित परम्पराएँ देखने को मिल रही है. सामाजिक एवं धार्मिक संस्थाएं भी अब इस रोग से अछूती नहीं रही. धार्मिक संस्थाओं के चुनाव भी अब राजनैतिक अखाड़ों में परिवर्तित होने लगे हैं. सेवा, सद्भावना, आस्था का स्थान अब धनवल एवं इसी प्रकार की अन्य वस्तुओं  ने ले लिया है. प्रायः आज के साधू साध्वी वर्ग भी राजनीति में लिप्त होते नजर आ रहे हैं.

यहाँ स्थिति विषम तो है ही साथ ही सामाजिक समरसता को भी भंग करने वाली है. जैन समाज के चुनाव भी इस बीमारी से अछूते नहीं हैं. अब चुनाव प्रायः कर के अपने अपने अहम् की तुष्टि के लिए लड़ा जाणे लगा है. किसी भी प्रकार से धन उपार्जन करने वाला समाज का श्रेष्ठी वर्ग प्रायः सामाजिक पदों को प्राप्त करने के लिए अपने धनवल का उपयोग करते हैं. आज ये भी देखने में आता है की साधू साध्वी वर्ग भी इन्ही श्रेष्ठीओं को अपने अपने प्रोजेक्ट्स को पूरा करने के लिए तबज्जो देता है.
समाज का साधारण वर्ग भी ऐसी स्थिति में किसी एक या अन्य गुट  में सम्मिलित हो जाता है.

फिर शुरू होती है एक दुसरे से आगे निकलने की अंधी दौड़. प्रायः एक गुट एवं उसके कार्यकर्ता अन्य गुट को नीचा दिखाने का कोई अवसर हाथ से जाने नहीं देते. इस तरह शुरू हो जाती है वैमनस्यता, लड़ाई झगडे. इन चुनाव एवं चुनावोत्तर परिश्थितियो में कषायों को खुला पोषण मिलता है.

ऐसी स्थिति में "धर्मं" कहन टिक पायेगा?   ये एक ऐसा विचारनीय बिंदु है जिस पर साधू, साध्वी, श्रावक, श्राविका सभी को मिल बैठ कर विचार करना चाहिए.

क्या हम ऐसी स्थिति का फिर से निर्माण नहीं कर सकते जहाँ विनम्र, सेवा भावी, कर्मठ एवं धर्मात्मा लोग सामाजिक संस्थाओं के पदाधिकारी बनें जिससे जिन शासन  की निरंतर एवं उत्तरोत्तर वृद्धि हो सके. 
निवेदक 
ज्योति कोठारी

Some questions and answers about Jain philosophy

I have got some interesting questions in Jain communities that I have answered. Some of  those are reproduced here.

Q1      Does the soul have to wait till the "right" kind of gati, in the right circumstance is available? if it has to wait where does it wait? in the same bhoomi where the body passed away or in some other place?

Ans: No, the soul has not to wait. It starts immediately from the place of death and body. Other questions therefore not applicable.

Q2 Does a soul that has left the body still have its past memories? or does it lose them after having left the body? or does it maintain them and then loses them as soon as it takes another birth?

Ans: All these depend on a particular soul. In most of the cases soul looses its memory with in few moments.

Q3 Does a soul experience time the way humans do? like does it have to "wait" from one transition to another?

Ans: As answered earlier it has not to wait. The time span is so short that it can not even perceive (not more than four samayas)

Q4 If many bodies have died together, like in a war or bomb blast etc, can these souls interact with one another in any way? or with people (like ghosts) Can they see the world without eyes the way we see things with our eyes? can they hear and smell and taste and feel without any of those organs? if yes then how? if no then what do they experience?

Ans: No they can not interact with each other. As they do not have any senses (dravya indriya) they can not feel touch, taste etc. They experience Karmafal only.

Q5  If a soul has to travel from one Kshetra to take birth in another, how fast does it travel? Is the journey immediate or is there a speed limit for souls, like there is for light... this question sounds silly but its very fundamental in numerous ways

 Ans:There is no speed limit. Time factor is decieded upon turns. If it goes in straight line it takes one samaya. If it turns once it takes two samayas. At a maximum it takes three turns, hence four samayas.

Thanks,
Jyoti Kothari