via BBC News

Each year, about half a million people make a pilgrimage to 1,500 temples of the Jain religion, perched high on a hill overlooking the town of Palitana in Gujarat, western India.

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Peaceful Conquerers: Jain Manuscript Paintings at Metropolitan Museum of Art from 10 Sept 2009 to 21 March 2010 www.metmuseum.org

Victorious Ones: Jain Images of Perfection at Rubin Museum of Art from 18th September 2009 to 15 February 2010 www.rmanyc.org, (press release) Read the rest of this entry »

[image title="Exposition of Pratikramana Stotras" size="full" id="1402" align="left" linkto="http://www.oshwal-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Exposition-of-Pratikramana-Stotras.pdf" ] Link to PDF of book: Exposition of Pratikramana Stotras (PDF, 1mb)

Jaina scriptures have prescribed six necessary duties for a Jaina householder, which are: sämäyika, chaturvimashati stava,vandanaka, Pratikramana, käyotsarga and pratyäkhyäna.

Pratikramana is the central theme of these necessary duties as all the other five are included in it. It has been a tradition for Swetamber Jains all over the world to do Pratikramana several times a year. The most important being the Samvantsari Pratikramana on the last day of Paryushana when a lay person confesses and atones for the sins committed knowingly or unknowingly during the past year. However, as the sutras and the prayers which are recited during the Pratikramana are mostly in Sanskrit and Prakrit (Ardhmaghdhi), most devotees do not understand the exact meaning behind the sutras and prayers.

Excellent Gujarati and Hindi texts are available on this subject but I am not aware of any works in simple English. I must confess that I am not a scholar of Jain Religion and this is not a literary translation. It is my interpretation of the sutras and prayers after going through various texts on this subject written by scholars and very able writers. My purpose of writing this book is to give a simplified unconventional English translation to make it easy for an average reader to understand the meaning of the Pratikramana stotras.

This book “Exposition of Pratikramana Stotras” includes the original verses in Gujarati, with transliteration in English followed by as accurate as possible meaning and as clear as possible commentary of the verses. This book will be very helpful to the people who are familiar with the Pratikramana stotras but do not understand the original meanings as they are not well versed in Indian dialects. Read the rest of this entry »

JainMediaLive.com presents Jinvani, a Jain radio station that will broadcast 24×7 on the internet. Their aim is to relay various programs, including Abhishek, Pooja, Lecture (Pravachan), Bhakti, Aarti, Samayik, Pratikraman, etc. throughout the day.

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We are proudly inviting you to participate in JITO (Jain International Trade Organization) will be held at Ahmedabad (India) in January, 2009. We are waiting to welcome you. Your presence & participation will give success to this Exhibition.

Please check the attached file (below) for details about JITO. Read the rest of this entry »

Jain Society of Tampa Bay will be hosting guests for Pratishtha Mahotsav from November 27-30 (Thanksgiving weekend)

Please log on to http://www.jainsociety.tampabay.org for details and registration. Read the rest of this entry »

The Jain Center of Southern California (JCSC) arranged a grand Pratishtha Mahotsav from September 26 through October 6, 2008 to commemorate opening of a new Religious Complex in the city of Buena Park.  Several Oshwal families living in the Los Angeles area actively participated in the celebration.  Nina Aashit Shah of Carlsbad, Reena and Milan Shah of Aliso Viejo, Seema and Sujit Shah of Aliso Viejo, and Shilpa and Nitin Shah of Temple City were part of a large group of volunteers who helped in several activities to make this a memorable occasion..  Sajan, Riya and Anika (children of Seema and Sujit Shah) and Shivani (daughter of Shilpa and Nitin Shah) took part in cultural programs which were very entertaining. Riya had also the honor of lighting a Diva to commemorate the beginning of Pratishtha Mahotsav.  Sushilaben Girishbhai Shah of Yorba Linda wrote, directed and produced an enlightening one act play titled “Jambu Swami’s Vairagya”.  Her commentary and acting by members of the Swadhya Group including Girishbhai and their two sons – Bickey and Moulick, was truly commendable.

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I am sure fellow USA Oshwals are aware that Jain Derasar at Potters Bar UK is now completed. It is among the first Shikharbadhi Derasar outside India.

A photo video has been posted online:

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link: http://www.jainadarsh.com

Jainadarsh.com is a totally free matrimonial website simple to use and high on features.
Apart form being totally free, what sets it apart is the emphasis on registration of boys and girls with neat and clean habits thereby ensuring that the registrants are at least Jains by their habits. A signed declaration to this effect automatically generated with the details of the applicant immediately upon entering data is insisted upon before the registrant is validated and his /her details are accessible on the site. Read the rest of this entry »

Link: http://www.jainalliance.co.uk/

Editor’s note: A “portal” for Jainism from the UK.

FROM THE WEBSITE: The Ultimate Resource for Jains. Information on Jainism,Places of Worship, Associations, Education, Events and more….
Share your views through “FORUMS”
Seek new friends
Network with other Jain members through “MESSAGING”
Build long term relations – Be it for hobbies,business or Seeking a Soul mate.
Inviting Jains to become members . Membership is free!

Link: North America Jain Directory Home

The Jain Center of Greater Boston (JCGB) is in the process of preparing a new directory of Jains living in the USA. If you have not heard from the JCGB and would like to include information about your family in the directory, then please visit the following site before May 31, 2005:

“People will not judge us by the creed we profess or slogan we shout, but our work, sacrifice, honesty, and purity of character” – Mahatma Gandhi

Prof. Paul Dundas in his book �The Jains� writes that Jainism, India�s and possibly the world�s oldest Religion is least known and least understood outside India. Jains through the ages have made great contributions to the culture, literature, art, architecture, education, welfare and betterment of the India Society. Read the rest of this entry »

Link: www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/jainism

BBC Religion and Ethics launched the Jainism website on 7th December 2003 which communicates the philosophy and culture of Jain Religion. The launch of the BBCI Jainism website is a pioneering development in communicating the essence of Jain culture. The newly launched website will allow people worldwide to appreciate and understand the Jain values of ahimsa, aparigraha and annekant as a highly relevant and essential part of modern living. Read the rest of this entry »

From: “Colgate-Palmolive Consumer Affairs”

Dear Ms Shah

Thank you for contacting us with your question. We appreciate the opportunity to provide information regarding animal fats used in Colgate-Palmolive products sold in the United States.

All of Colgate-Palmolive Company’s soaps contain tallow. The tallowates used in these soaps are obtained only from beef tallow. In addition, the glycerin in these soaps is certified as pork free. The following soaps contain no pork or lard and, therefore, are pork-free: Read the rest of this entry »

Link: Jain Wedding Ceremony

Jainism dates to 600 B.C. Jains, having shared the subcontinent with Hindus for more than 2,500 years, have developed a strikingly similar marriage tradition.

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