Paryushan - Day 1
Amit on September 2007
Jai 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….
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Amit,
I can totally resonate with much of what you shared, b/c I went through most of my life fluctuating between Hinduism and Jainism as well. While, both of my folks ARE Jain, they’ve been more spiritual than religious and we’d always talk about the concepts and theories behind the rituals rather actually practicing the rituals themselves.
So, it’s really this year that I’m taking on even observing Paryushan in a way that’s traditional and religious. The past few days I’ve definitely cheated, but starting today, it’s all fruits and nuts for me … it’ll be a challenge no doubt.
And I give you mad props for taking it on yourself especially while living far from family. Let me know how things turn out!
-Parth
Amit, wassup homie, its Aug. 27th 2008 - first day of Paryushan for me. Just online trying to get recipes that I can make for Paryushan and I bumped into your blog. Very enlightening. I’d lived by myself for over 2 years now, so every time it gets harder. If you got any tips let me know, because right now I’m living on fruits and nuts.
guys,
you can eat peanut butter, jelly, tortillas, black beans, mac n cheese, bread (if you wanna be lenient, since it isn’t cheating, bread has no eggs), grilled cheese sandwiches, milkshakes, smoothies… hope this helps a little. otherwise 8 days on fruits, nuts isn’t a lot of fun
u can definitely have fruits as lisa mentioned…but as far as i know…u cant have peanuts…since its basically a GROUNDnut…and thats exactly paryushan is for…not even bread coz it hs yeast…u can eat beans and pulses of any kind…baiscally the best way to follow paryushan in US is to cook on ur own…which is not a g8 idea i know…but lets c if some1 can suggest anythin better…
Dear Guys,
I see all of you facing real problem of eating during the Paruyshan. Well no matter there are manya many good things you can really enjoy during paryushan. Well to begin with most easy way is Mung the best & easy to cook. Next is Methi Papad Sabji, Even some of them cook ripe banana vegetable which is good. Do let me know if any one of you really need recipes. Well I am an Indian now in Saudi yes these 8 days of Paryushan are a little difficult when you are away from family so most of the times I cut me diet. Eat once a day called Ek Asanu. Well bread & all such stuff u can have as u may face difficulty but in fact what it says in Jainism is we should not have anything which is stale as it has various bacterias in it. But if u really want to follow u can cook rice & have it with Mung Sabji the best & healthy food. Sorry for sunding more like an elderly person.
Love & awaiting ur reply in case anyone of u need the recipie
Hey Mick, Khyathi, Lisa, and Vakil,
Trail mix is truly a Jain’s best friend, lol … if you go down some of the aisles of WholeFoods, you’ll find some really good raw fruit leathers which are made from fruit put in a dehydrator.
On the diet note, be sure to be drinking PLENTY of water - hydration is KEY when you’re fasting - take whatever you drink on a regular basis and add 3-4 glasses to it. Another thing you might want to try is a cleanse that I used during a cleanse that I was doing for a while, it will give you energy beyond belief and tastes kind of like a spicy lemonade. It’s great for those of us on the run and don’t have time to actually prepare meals.
Here’s the recipe:
- a 1 gallon jug of Spring water
- 1 cup of GRADE B Maple Syrup
- 1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice (I’d recommend organic lemons)
- 1 teaspoon of fresh cayenne pepper (yup, the really hot stuff)
Mix all that and drink about 5-6 glasses a day. You’ll not only feel energetic, but also enable your body to go down to it’s natural body weight.
At the end of the day though, it’s all about volition and reflection, as long as you’re taking some time thinking about forgiveness and reflecting on the way you live life.
I hope that helps!
I was fortunate to be able to attend ekashana at my derasar on a daily basis. Just sharing the presence of a whole community that is committed to tap during Paryushan was an amazing experience.
I found that minimizing as much food intake, travel, etc. is the best way to reflect on life and live a peaceful life during Paryushan.
I have a list of recipes to post shortly for those that continue to practice Das Lakshan.