General
Das Lakshan - Day 1
1) Forgiveness – UTTAM KSHAMA
External View: We forgive those who have wronged us and seek forgiveness from them. Forgiveness is sought not just from human colleagues, but from all living beings ranging from one sense to five senses. If we do not forgive or seek forgiveness but
instead h arbor resentment, we bring misery and unhappines on ourselves and in the process shatter our peace of mind and make enemies. Forgiving and seeking forgiveness oils the wheel of life, allowing us to live in harmony with our fellow beings.
Internal View: Forgiveness here is directed toward oneself. The Soul, in a state of mistaken identity or false belief, assumes that it consists of the body, the Karmas and the emotions,
likes, dislikes, anger, pride, etc. As a result of this incorrect belief, it inflicts pain upon itself and is thus the cause of its own misery. Nischay Kshamä (forgiveness) Dharma teaches
the Soul to correctly identify itself by encouraging it to contemplate its true nature and hence achieve the state of right belief or Samyak Darshan. It is only by achieving Samyak
Darshan that the Soul ceases to inflict pain on itself and attains
supreme happiness.
Last Day
Amit on September 2007We have been exchanging Michhami Dukkadam [probably without knowing, experiencing or feeling] for Forgiveness every year at the end of Paryushan. Allow me (the author) to take you through following steps which enables you to experience what forgiveness is. Please follow these simple steps with your conscious mind & body. And feel the experience what Michhami Dukkadam/Forgiveness is.
step 1
close your eyes….for a moment just reflect on what the word
Forgiveness
might really mean.
What is forgiveness?
[ponder for a short while and after contemplating goto next]
step 2
And now, very gently — no force — just as an experiment in truth –
just for a moment — allow the image of someone for whom you have
much resentment — someone from whom you have anger and a sense
of distance — let them just gently — gently, come into your mind –
As an image, as a feeling.
May be you feel them at the centre of your chest as fear, as resistance.
However they manifest in your mind body, just invite them in very gently
for this — moment — for this experiment.
And in your heart, silently say to them, ‘ I forgive you’.
‘I forgive you for whatever you have done in the past that caused me
pain, intentionally or unintentionally. However you have caused me pain,
I forgive you’.
Speak gently to them in your heart with your ownwords– in your own way.
[close your eyes and talk in your heart with them– only for forgiveness]
In your heart, say to them, ‘I forgive you for whatever you may have done in
the past, through your words, through your actions, through your thoughts
that caused me pain, intentionally or unintentionally. I forgive you.’
Allow….Allow them to be touched… power of your thought is immense
and it would touch them….
just for a moment at least…
by your forgiveness.
Allow forgiveness.
It is so painful to hold someone out of your heart.
How can you hold on to that pain,
that resentment, even a moment longer?
Fear, doubt… let it go… and for this moment,
touch them with your forgiveness.
‘I FORGIVE YOU.’
Now let them go gently, let them leave quietly.
Let them go with your blessings.
step 3
Now picture someone who has great resentment for you.
Someone near or dear
May be a friend, customer/client oremployer/employee…..
staff or family…
supplier/creditor or a banker/broker of insurance
anyone who has any cause of resentment for you.
Could be spouse or parent, children or neighbour
who had any cause of resentment for you in recent past.
Feel them in your chest, may be in heart, seeing themin your mind as an image
– sense of their being. Invite them gently in.
Someone who has resentment, Anger –
someone who is unforgiving towards you.
Let them into your heart at this moment.
And in your heart, say to them ‘ I ask your forgiveness,
for whatever I may have done in the past that caused you pain,
intentionally or unintentionally —
through my words, through my actions, through my thoughts.
However I caused you pain,
I ask your forgiveness. I ask your forgiveness.’
‘Through my anger, my fear, my blindness, my laziness.
However I caused you pain,
intentionally or unintentionally — I ask your forgiveness.’
Let it be. Allow that forgiveness in.
Allow your self to be touched by their forgiveness.
Power of your thoughts is immense… they are forgiving you.
If the mind rises up
with thoughts like self-indulgence or doubt,
just see how profound our mercilessness is
with ourself and be open to the forgiveness.
Allow yourself to be forgiven.
Allow yourself to be forgiven.
However I caused you pain,
I ask for your forgiveness.
Allow yourself feel their forgiveness.
Let it be.
Let it be.
And gently …. very gently … let them go on their way
in forgiveness for you — in blessings foryou.
step 4
And turn to yourself in your own heart andsay
‘ I forgive you’ to you/rself.
whatever tries to block that
the merciless and fear.
Let it go.
Let it be touched by your forgiveness andyour mercy.
And gently in your heart, calling yourselfby
your own first name, say,
‘ I FORGIVE YOU ‘ to you.
It is so painful to put yourself out of your heart.
Let yourself in. Allow yourself to be touched
by this forgiveness.
Let the healing in.
Say, ‘ I FORGIVE YOU ‘ to you.
[ you will feel very peaceful…light hearted and relieved
if not, try repeating step 2,3 & 4….
till you have softened your heart, feel your inner peace…
then goto step 5]
step 5
[ say with immense love and joy,….openly, loudly…]
Let that forgiveness be extended to the beings all around you.
May all beings forgive themselves.
May they discover joy.
May all being be freed of suffering.
May all beings be healed.
May they be at one with their thru nature.
May they be free from suffering.
May they be at peace.
Let that loving kindness,
that forgiveness,
extend to the whole planet…
extend to entire universe
to every level of existence, seen and unseen.
May all beings be freed of sufferings.
May they know the power of forgiveness,
may they know their true being.
May they know their vastness
their infinite peacefulness.
May all beings be free.
May all beings be free.
[SOURCE: Dr. C.Northrup (p507-509) ISBN 0- 7499-1484-X]
Day 7
Amit on September 2007Samvatsari Pratikraman
Of all the days of Paryushan I felt the biggest change on this day. Everything culminates into realizing what we’ve done and haven’t done over this past year. I felt cleansed and relaeased from the past year and now looking forward.
Day 6 - Essay by Sonam Sheth (CT)
Amit on September 2007Atthai
As I concluded the Namokar Mantra, a Jain prayer, the eldest member of our family fed me the first ceremonial drops of Nimbu Pani (lemon water); this was the first time in eight days that I would put something in my mouth besides boiled water. As it slid down my parched throat, my stomach sighed in relief. This feeling of satisfaction was the culmination of a rare feat I had achieved – an eight day fast. I had proven to myself that no obstacle could stand in my way as long as my determination and commitment remained strong.
* * *
Year after year, I have seen other followers of Jainism (a religious philosophy based on non-violence) fast during the religious week of Paryushan. This past summer, I felt that my time had come to take on this endeavor. One of the basic principles for a Jain is to focus on spiritual elevation and transcend material desires. The realization that this fast might help to achieve mastery over my most basic instincts fascinated me and gave me the strength to follow through. Little did I know, I would learn the true meaning of dedication and determination in those eight days. Renouncing food and controlling my mind changed my perception of everyday life. The amount of perseverance and willpower that my fast took was more than I could have ever imagined.
Half way through my fast, my body experienced many changes. My stomach shrank, my breaths were shorter and more frequent, and yet, to my dismay, all my senses became sharper. As I watched television to keep my mind occupied, my fingers mechanically switched to the Food Network again and again. All my eyes noticed was how many glowing, luscious burger commercials were played during an hour long episode. The sizzle of the frying pan while my mother cooked for the rest of the family would call my nose to attention. When I left home in hopes of giving my senses some rest, what was once a single, ordinary Taco Bell in the town of Danbury multiplied into a sanctuary of bliss on every street corner. As I headed back home, even the haunting tune of the ice cream truck would make my mouth water. As temptation tugged at my sense of taste, before sunset each day, I drank two glasses of slightly tart boiled water. Water that would normally make my mouth sour was never tastier than on the eighth day of my fast. Nevertheless, having faith in my religion gave me the confidence needed to conquer my challenge.
Though I had not put a single morsel of food in my mouth, it was in those eight days that I would live, sleep, and breathe food. It was with every alluring commercial that my determination grew stronger, and with every temptation I resisted, my dedication surged. After the fast, I gained a renewed discipline. At an age when most teenagers undergo a right of passage, I chose one that taught me more about myself. The eight-day fast during Paryushan contributed to my own sense of personal fulfillment and internal serenity. The sense of spiritual satisfaction I gained from controlling my mind and appetite was incomparable to any other previous experience in my life. I chose to do something that is not required by my religion but rather allowed me to test my boundaries. This experience taught me that my key to continual growth and maturity is self-exploration.
Day 5
Forgiving ourselves.
I can only speak for myself, but I know others also have done things that they are not proud of. Maybe I wasn’t there for a friend when they needed me, or I was responsible for unhappiness of my loved ones and the people I was closest with. These sorts of past actions can leave us feeling ashamed and guilty, and we can end up carrying our guilt for years.
Guilt is one of the most debilitating and negative emotions. But if we want to live happy lives, we need to deal with the consequences of our past actions and not allow our lives to be caught up with guilt.
Feeling guilty IS NOT the same as taking responsibility for our past. Taking responsibility means that we actively address the consequences of our actions in whatever way we can, in particular changing our behavior patterns. Taking responsibility also includes moving on by making peace with the past. Taking responsibility is redeeming and positive.
Forgiving yourself is essential. There is a tendency in all of us to hold ourselves more accountable than we would with others. Perhaps you have been one who can justify forgiving others, even for a heinous offense, yet you find no justification for forgiving yourself for an equal or lesser offense. Perhaps you believe that forgiving yourself is not even a consideration because you think you must hold yourself in a state of constant remembrance, lest you forget. Perhaps you believe there is a price, some form of life-long penance that you must pay.
Day 4
Amit on September 2007“This special eight-day festival is not for outward show; it is a time for introspection. It is a time to scrutinize ourselves within. It is a happy holiday, celebrated with various events, elective fasting, and introspective meditation.”
-Gurudev Shree Chitrabhanu
With this theme for the fourth day of Paryushan, I took the time to look inside not at my actions or words, but my thoughts. In past year how have I sinned through my thoughts? How have I betrayed others through a simple thought? Why didn’t I act on these thoughts or say them? Sometimes I didn’t out of shame and sometimes I didn’t because I knew it was wrong.
We’re not perfect in our thought process. We can easily stray from an enlightened view to an emotional, skewed version. This year I challenge everyone, MYSELF ESPECIALLY, to take a deep breath when they receive some news that warrants a negative emotional response. Being mindful and taking a few seconds to collect ourselves will allow us to keep our thoughts in line so we can ask the right questions and avoid our sins through our thoughts.
One thing that we also must realize, is that we can also initiate negative thoughts in others with the things we carelessly say. We have to make sure that we are conscious of the things we say to others because most of don’t think before we say things. Well, I should say sometimes I don’t think before I say things.
Ok kids, enough of the lecture. 4 days left.
Day 3
Jai Jinendra!!
I hope everyone is having a peaceful Paryushan! My name is Meghi Mehta, one of the Co-Chair’s for YJA this year, and I’m from Boston, MA – originally Toronto, Canada 
! I guess I can give a flipside perspective of how Paryushan is for me, having grown up in a pretty religious Jain family and atmosphere. I can always recall having spent most of my time at the temple during Paryushan if I wasn’t at school, class, work, or sleeping. Although I may not know, or even remember ALL the sutra’s I learned as a child, I still find myself to be pretty involved in the Jain faith. I try to take these 8 days to live as simple as possible and reflect on my life as Jain.
Coming to a point in my life where I, like so many others, have a gazillion things going and have trouble finding that place of peace, I know for the past 3 days I have been able to turn to the temple to do pratikaman and aarti everyday to find my peace. I’m able to take at least 48 minutes of the day to reflect on how I have lived my life for the past year and how I can better myself and my way of life for the coming year. Yesterday, Day 3 of paryushan, was Chaudhus and the pratikaman that’s done is almost as long as Samvatsari. During the daily pratikaman we say “Michhami Dukkadam” (which means I beg your forgiveness), for the daily things we do in life – breathe, walk, eat after sunset, etc. But, the “atichar” yesterday went beyond that to ask for forgiveness of things beyond our daily lives, such as not fasting, not doing the rituals we’re supposed to, etc. I sort of take my asking for forgiveness as a wake up call to realize the things that I’ve done - knowingly or unknowingly - that may have harmed someone or something. Along the same lines, I take this as a chance to start fresh.
In starting fresh, aside from re-assessing how I live my life and my relationships with people, I always like to begin the year (until the next paryushan) by giving up something. I thought about it yesterday and I haven’t decided what I will give up this year (or even for a few months?). When I’ve given up things in the past, they’ve always been food related. I was thinking this year, in the world of materialism that we live in, why not set a limit to the amount of materialistic things I indulge in. I’m not much of a blogger (this is my FIRST EVER) and I’ve run out of things to say! Hope everyone is having a great paryushan and doing some real soul searching/enlightenment! :) Any thoughts/additions to this blog are more than welcome!
Day 2
Amit on September 2007It gets tougher and tougher each day doesn’t it? At least for me it does. I’m not disciplined to the level where I can give up late night snacks and its starting to take its toll on me. I feel a little weary, yet when I focus on a particular task I can be a laser beam. I read somewhere in Jain teachings and also heard it echoed in Hindu teachings as well. To paraphrase;
Through the understanding of self-sacrifice and going through the physical and mental misery, it brings us closer than God. We become enlightened…
I hope that everyone is doing well and feeling closer to God. Tomorrow I am going to take try and conquer some of these recipes that have been given to us by the Jain Center of New York.
Someone tell me something. Leave a comment.
Paryushan - Day 1
Amit on September 2007Jai Jinendra.
My name is Amit Jain/25/Los Angeles. I come from a religiously and culturally mixed background so my experience with Paryushan has been limited up until the last few years. My mom is from Lucknow, U.P. and is of the Hindu faith. My dad is from Jalhandher,Punjab is Punjabi-Jain. WHAT?!?! Yeah I get it all the time… Yes, there is such people that are Punjabi-Jain. O bale!!!
I spent my entire childhood and young adulthood going back and forth between my Hindu Dharma and my Jain Dharma. This left me at times confused on what to believe in times when principles had deviating philosophy. I’ll be candid with you, 9 out of 10 times I took the road of least resistance to my life. What that means to me is that instead of cleansing my soul through paryushan I would cleanse it through daily worship of Lord Shiva and attending the Hindu Mandir for religious holidays and to receive blessings from the Pundit for my penance during worship.
You see, its easily confusing and equally justifiable to fall into a trap where you feel like you’re practicing 2 traditions with one. I know now, that in order to be fully Jain and fully Hindu its imperative that you complete ALL the traditions.
Day 1 - I’m trying to get through a cold right and sore throat right now so I definitely do not feel ready to take on the challenge. My diet today consisted of some fruits and some very funky garbonzo bean concoction I made up of lemon juice and salt. I live away from my family so there’s ‘no live-in cook’ to make sure I’m eating the right things and preparing food for me. It’s definitely a step harder trying to prepare food on your for Paryushan much less any other time of the year so please if you are doing this right now post your recipes and suggestions on the comments section of this blog post.
A lot of our elders have put together some incredible English Pratikraman documents and they are easily readable. I’ve spent much time this evening just re-learning important principles that I have forgotten over the years.
I really would like to know what others did today and what the people did at their local temples. Is there anything that anybody learned today that they would like to impart on me and the reading audience?? It doesn’t even have to be thought provoking. I am limited with my interactions with Jains on a daily basis so this can be a really cool way to connect with everyone out there. A penny for your thoughts….
2nd Annual Jain Center Camping Trip
Amit on September 2007
Join us for this year’s JCA Camping Trip! After last year’s hugely successful event, we’re at it again. Come for the food, friends, and fun, stay for the discussions and dharma.
Register early and let your friends know! Our Trip is October 6, 7, 8, 2007. We will meet at Jain Center of America (NY), make a visit to Siddhachalam and then head to Harmony Ridge Campgrounds. Contact Chintan Shah at chintan.shah@yja.org for more information.
About Jain Diaries
Jain Diaries is a blog by YJA about Peace, Compassion, and having a good time. Written and edited by youth just like you. Enjoy!