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!
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!
Great first blog! I think you should be a regular blogger for YJA! There’s a great jump off point. What can we do in the next coming year to live a more Jain way of life??
Giving up things and living a simpler life is difficult and anyone who gives up material things and food related things should be commended. In this world we live, in its so difficult live in the world outside of the Jain community as individuals and not ‘go against the grain.’
I agree with anonymous, props to you for practicing the “practice” and for blogging. You should definitely be a regular homegirl!
We’re really blessed that the process of completion is embedded in our culture/religion. The residual affects of seeking forgiveness, completing, and restoring ourselves and our relationships (with people and with things) has profoundly powerful effects on the energy we create ourselves.
Keep blogging!
Congrats on your first Blogging… You should do them more often.
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Best of luck to everyone through the rest of Paryushan.
Even the concept of giving up material items, certain meals, actions, etc. begins with minimizing the thought about them. One can always possess them, but minimization of thought, discussion, and relation can really make the difference.
This week has been difficult, but I have attained a new focus in an area that I had struggled to see long-term: my profession. Even through a coincident week of forgiveness - both asking and accepting - has allowed me to use JWOL to focus on thoughts.
Share your experience with YJA, and let all youth leaders become involved!
Jai Jinendra