Lecture recap: Young Jain taking Diksha

YJA Board on May 2007

No comments

This past weekend YJA Board Member, Parag Parekh, attended Bhavesh Bhai Shah’s lecture in Queens. Bhavesh is a young jain who is taking Diksha very soon.

I asked Parag to share his thoughts on how the lecture went and what he took away from it:

Parag Parekh, Director of Events:
This past Sunday, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to hear Bhavesh Bhai, who is taking Diksha at the young age of 21, speak. Bhavesh Bhai’s discussion included topics such as the meaning of Jainism and being a Jain, the rationale for doing a saymik, and the rationale for the way we do puja, which I had no idea about before. In explaining the rationale behind how we do puja, he discussed, for example, we do puja to the toe as symbol of bowing for atonement. I was able to learn new ideas about Jainism, though that wasn’t the main reason why I went to his discussion. I wanted to know what could have made a 21 year old man want to give up everything and live the life of a monk.

Bhavesh Bhai was always a studious scholar of Jainism. When he informed his family of his intentions, his family was naturally surprised and took him out to see what he would miss out on if he followed through. Seeing what he may miss out on just strengthened his intent to take Diksha and this is what got to me. How can a 21 year old, who has his whole life ahead of him, just give up all worldly possessions and his life in order to live the life of a monk? It requires such a strong will and dedication that it makes fasting look like child’s play. Hearing him speak about taking Diksha put many things in perspective. Owning and trying to obtain the latest stuff isn’t much of a priority anymore, especially after you hear someone your age willing to give up everything for the sake of religion. The biggest piece of advice I took back was to stay strong in my beliefs, especially during times when it is rough, because ultimately faith and patience are rewarded.

Well said Parag and thank you for sharing.