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Welcome Message
Dear YM2 Reader,

Jai Jinendra! The new 2010-2011 Executive Board would like to welcome you to our
first ever limited edition of Young Minds: Young Minds2. This and other future limited
SAVE THE editions of Young Minds2 will help us connect with you in between our quarterly
DATE! publications. This publication will share experiences and voice the opinions of your
UPCOMING fellow Jain youth and give you updates on national and regional YJA events to look
YJA EVENTS forward to in the month of October.
• October 2nd -
YJA National
We are excited about this coming year and are looking to involve YOU! Attend
Service Day regional or national YJA events to reconnect with old friends, make new ones, and do
the Jain thing. Send us an email at projects@yja.org with ideas for events in your back-
• October 9-11 -
yard and/or around North America. Keep up your connection to other youth through
5th Annual
YJA/JIVA-NY our newsletter and contact us at youngminds@yja.org to share your views on Jainism,
Mid-Atlantic life, or anything else that may interest you!
Camping
Retreat Lastly on behalf of the 2010-2011 Executive Board, we ask for
• October 15-16 forgiveness if we have hurt your feelings by thoughts, words, or
YJA South actions, knowingly or unknowingly. Michhami Dukkadam. Inside this issue:
Region Fright-
Fest Night at
Jain Symbols 2
Six Flags
Khamemi Savve Jiva 2-3
Vow to Wow!
We forgive all the living beings

Savve Jiva Khamantu Me Important Dates 3


We seek pardon from all the living beings

Metti Me Savva Bhuyesu Camping Retreat 4

We are friendly towards all the living beings


Third Time’s a 5
Veram Majjham Na Kenyi Charm!
And we seek enemity with none
FrightFest 6

Donate 7
Sincerely,
Your 2010-2011 YJA Executive Board
PAGE 2

Do You Know Jain Symbols?


rebirth. To show how of a sädhu or sädhvi to
By
we can do this, the be liberated.
Khushbu swastika reminds us that
we should become the Referenced from: Jain World
Vora (http://www.jainworld.com/
pillars of the four fold
education/jainsymbol.htm)
Jain Sangh, then only can
we achieve liberation.
The four pillars of the
The four arms of the Jain Sangh are sädhus, Do
swastika remind us that sädhvis, shrävaks, and you know
during the cycles of birth shrävikäs. This means
the meaning
and death we may be born that first, we should
into any one of the four strive to be a true of this symbol? Please
destinies: heavenly beings, shrävaks or shrävikäs, submit your response to
SWASTIKA human beings, animal be- and when we can Khushbu.vora@yja.org;
ings, (including birds, bugs, overcome our social we may publish your
and plants) and hellish attachments, we should response in the next
beings. Our aim should be renounce the worldly monthly newsletter!
the liberation and not the life and follow the path

Vow to Wow!
negative ones. So, this thoughts). I realized I had
By summer I decided to no one to blame for my
Devi change my negative mood but myself. You
outlook. cannot just wake up one
Shah
morning and change your
For Paryushan I made the life- you have to work at it.
following goals: As the week progressed I
“Lucky for me,
• Become a more forced myself to look at
Paryushan is a This year brought about a positive person & things in a positive way.
lot of changes in life—I look at the cup as Yes, I transferred to
festival for eight made it into nursing "half full" another college, however,
school, had to transfer out • Stay calm and not I was finally in nursing
days (not just one) become angered by
and leave all of my old school! I made new
to reflect on college and home friends, little things friends and still visited my
moved away from my • Not just be good, DO old ones. Whenever I
yourself” home town that I grew up good! became annoyed, I took a
in, had to adjust to moving deep breathe to calm
back home and I started the week off down.
commuting, had lost a lot becoming annoyed at
of important people who everyone I spoke with. I This vow was easier said
changed my life, and I kept blaming friends & than done because noth-
became an aunt (again). family for my bad moods. ing happens overnight.
Many of these changes I Every negative moment I Lucky for me, Paryushan
faced were for the better had I took my anger out is a festival for eight days
and pleasant changes; on others. Finally one (not just one) to reflect on
however I spend many of night, I was up late yourself.
the days thinking & cleaning and organizing
analyzing about the my room (and my

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YOUNG MINDS
YOUNG JAINS OF AMERICA PAGE 3

Vow To Wow! Continued


than I thought. The inspiration everywhere under our own
By was that sadhu/sadhvi don't power. I found myself slowing
“I found use those, so I thought I should down and being more patient in
Nirav try what it is like to not use my daily interactions. I wasn't
myself slowing
Shah them either. In practice, living perfect during the week, and
down and on the 6th floor and having an did end up taking a cab when I
office on the 5th floor meant a was running late for an impor-
being more lot of stairs not to mention the tant meeting, but, on balance, it
mile walk between home and was a very rewarding
patient in my This Paryushan, I took a vow to work. Beyond the physical toll experience that I will try to
daily not use cars, buses, elevators, though, this experience also repeat in future years.
escalators, etc., on days when I gave me a new sense of
interactions” was not fasting and get around time. With modern transport
via my own two feet. This we move through life at a faster
turned out to be a lot harder pace than when we go

so quick on pointing out the impersonal society. There will


By
outcasts if you want to call be times when the compliment
Suhani them that, but we all have a person receives from you, a
Shah feelings. Jainism actually says total stranger, is the only nice
never to hurt anyone’s feelings comment they hear that day.
no matter what the reason may You can make a persons day “I vow to say
be. Paying someone a sincere with a simple nicety, spoken
compliment is a great way to with caring and sincerity. something
build a relationship or even positive/
I have actually been trying to
begin a conversation. It makes Remember to share a few
follow this vow for quite some
the other person feel important compliments and discover how encouraging to
time. It brings me joy to see
and acknowledges their it blesses your day in return!
how a simple sincere at least one
uniqueness. We all need to feel
compliment can bring joy to a
this. We all like to hear
person’s day. As the saying person each
complimentary comments to
goes, “treat others as you would
help reinforce our self image. day”
like to be treated.”
Make a habit of freely offering
I feel our society is so judg-
sincere compliments to people
mental sometimes on
you encounter. This is so
appearances and superficial on
important, especially in our
such trivial matters. Society is
hurried, harried and seemingly

• October 2nd
International Ahimsa Day; Gandhi Jayanti
• November 6th
Diwali: Mahavir Nirvan & Gautam Swami
Kevalgyan

Tie A String Around Your Finger


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YOUNG MINDS
PAGE 4

M id -Atla nti c C a mp in g R etr eat


5th Annual
October 9th - 11th , 2010

YJA / JIVA

t.
t s Lef
Sp o !
it ed r Now
Lim egiste
R

Date: Saturday, October 9th - Monday, October 11th


(Columbus Day Weekend) at 3 pm
Location: Harmony Ridge Campgrounds
23 Risdon Drive, Branchville, NJ
Price: $110
Contact: info@yja.org for questions
Registration: www.yja.org

• De-stress after your SATs


• Enjoy a long weekend of camping with
other Jain youth
• Play games and sports, compete in
contests, and learn about Jainism
• Reconnect with old friends and make
new ones!
• Don’t miss out, register now!

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YOUNG JAINS OF AMERICA PAGE 5

Third Time’s a Charm!


By
books, meditate and do honoring and respecting all
Namrata dharshan from home, and more other Jains.
Dalal than anything I kept myself
calm and concentrated on “Overall, Paryushan is a time
taking each day one day at a that comes once a year in which
time. Though I started becom- we can put our daily life on
ing weak after 5 days, I was still
pause and focus on our soul. It is
able to keep myself focused and
Jai Jinendra. My name is relaxed because of the way that a time to self-reflect and to
Namrata Dalal, I’m 23 years old, consciously ask for forgiveness
and this was the third year that for any wrongdoings.” This all
I had done atthai. Of the three goes back to my comment from
times I had done this, this was, earlier, when I had mentioned
by far, the most difficult, yet
“I learned that it really is that I had learned a lot about
most fulfilling. I feel as though I
learned a lot about myself and myself and about Jainism this
necessary for everyone time while I was doing atthai. I
much more about Jainism and
the meaning of Paryushan to put their lives on learned that it really is necessary
through my experience. for everyone to put their lives on
pause for a few days to pause for a few days to reflect. It
This year during the time I was is important to reflect on the
doing atthai, I felt as though I reflect”
whole year and ask for
used my time and energy very
wisely. The other two times I forgiveness, not only to yourself,
had done atthai, I was more but to anyone who you might
than energetic through the first have hurt in any way, shape or
four days, and I had tried doing I had approached fasting this form, including your family,
many of my daily activities time around. friends, and enemies. By asking
rather than staying home or for forgiveness, you are
going to the dherasar to One of the religious books that I
cleansing your soul of your sins
meditate or even just to relax. read was a short book that was
Because I did this, towards the given to me the last time I had and trying to improve it at the
end I became very weak and it done atthai a couple of years same time. After doing atthai, I
was very difficult for me to ago. In the book, it described can honestly say that I want to
complete it. However, I knew the meaning behind paryushan continue to learn as much as I
what I wanted to accomplish and five important elements can about Jainism and that I am
and I proceeded to take it one that should be practiced during thankful for being able to do
day at a time and was able to these eight days. These five
complete all eight days. This atthai again and I hope to be able
things were: spreading non-
time was very different. I spent violence, visiting other temples, to do it again soon. If I have said
my time going to the dherasar attam taap or fasting for three anything that may have offended
almost every day to do days consecutively, asking for you, or hurt you, please forgive
dharshan, stay at home, talk forgiveness, or doing me. Michhami Dukkadam. Jai
with my family, read religious pratikraman, and lastly Jinendra.

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PAGE 6

SOUTH REGION

Come out with YJA to Six Flags FrightFest! We’ll meet in


Austin, TX on Friday, and leave on Saturday for San
Antonio.

Ride miles of steel while enjoying the festivities of


Halloween with your fellow Jains in the South!

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YOUNG MINDS
YOUNG JAINS OF AMERICA PAGE 7

Please Make a Contribution to YJA Today to Pass Jain Principles &


Practice onto the Next Generation of Youth!
Jai Jinendra! The Executive Board for the Young Jains of America (YJA) plans to be very active in bringing
Jain principles to all youth across the country. We would like to take this opportunity to briefly discuss our
current projects and how they will make a difference to the YJA community.

• National Swadhyay hosted by a group of scholars to raise awareness about Jain Principles and ideals
and address youth problems, difficulties, and concerns.
• Website Reconstruction to develop a professional website for Jain youth and create a forum to share
Jain principles.
• Regional Retreats from the East to West Coasts to instill a sense of religious and cultural pride
among Jain youth.
• National Service Day to allow youth to participate in charitable community activities and “Be the
Change.”
• National Dinners in Jain communities to encourage youth to both develop new friendships among
Jain youth and strengthen current relationships within local Jain youth groups.

With the support of donors like you, YJA has grown to be the largest Jain Youth Organization in the World. For
the YJA Executive Board, this an honor to be a part of a group that motivates and inspires countless lives.

Please consider supporting our efforts with a personal contribution to YJA today. A contribution of any
amount will provide tremendous support to instill a sense of among youth about their Jain heritage. The
ultimate goal of the YJA Executive Board is to prepare today's Jain youth to become tomorrow's Jain leaders.

Not only do we appreciate your donations, but the fundraising team would like to hear from you! Please
e-mail fundraising@yja.org with your comments, suggestions, or recommendations for improvement
by YJA. If you have any questions regarding Young Minds, please e-mail youngminds@yja.org.

Jai Jinendra and Michhami Dukkadam. Thank you for your wonderful contribution.

Best Regards,
Young Jains of America Executive Board Email: info@yja.org Phone: 757-YJA-ORG1

YOUNG JAINS OF AMERICA CONTRIBUTION FORM

Full Name: __________________________________________________________________


Company Name (Optional): ____________________________________________________
Address: _______________________________ City: ____________ ST: ____ Zip: ________
Daytime Phone: (______)______________ Evening Phone: (______)_______________
Email Address: _______________________________________
Please make your check payable to Young Jains of America and mail it to:
Young Jains of America
c/o Vruddhi Choksy
36 North Broad Street
Fairborn, OH 45324

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YOUNG MINDS

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