We are blessed to have Live Pravachan by Rashtrasant Param Gurudev Shree Namramuni Maharaj  Saheb on Saturday September 9th, 10:30 am at our Jain Center.

We are also glad to inform that Dr. Kamala Mehta will enlighten us with Pravachan in the afternoon.

Date: Saturday, September 9th
Time:  1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Topic: Mukti Ka Marg - Ratnatraya
Language: Hindi

About Dr. Kamala Mehta:

Dr. Kamala Mehta is an acclaimed Jain scholar with core knowledge in various Jain Agams, Shastras and deep knowledge in Jainism. She has dedicated herself entirely to learning and exploring Jainism, actively participating in presenting lectures, organizing shivirs (camps), conducting pathshalas (Jain schools), and teaching both sravak and sravika (laypeople) as well as sadhus and sadhvies (monastics). Her services are provided free of charge. Dr. Mehta also imparts teachings on the Art of Jain living, Yoga, Acupressure, and Meditation.

For over 35 years, she has followed a Jain lifestyle by example, which includes sacrificing roots (Jamikand), consuming only achit (boiled) water, practicing chauvihaar (eating only before sunset), and adhering to 14 Niyam (spiritual observances), 3 Manorat, and performing various taps, including eight continuous varsitaps. As a senior swadhayae, she has been conducting programs and delivering pravachans (spiritual discourses) for more than 35 years, and she has been invited as a speaker to JAINA and various conventions and events.

Dr. Mehta serves as a living example of a Jain way of life, demonstrating her commitment by limiting her engagement with worldly pleasures.

Lunch Sponsors:
Mannaben & Nileshbhai Shah
Nilimaben & Vipinbhai Shah
Raniben & Devangbhai Ajmera

Please RSVP for lunch at this link…

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd5ln7VcKdpMZRXvuADcehqNbx_gIKo68XWb1AmTwpzotdCqQ/viewform

• Snatra pooja illustrates the celebration of two of the auspicious (out of five) events (Kalyanaks) occurring in the last life of Tirthankar Bhagwan.
• This Puja and celebration is for all Tirthankaras and not specific to any particular one.
• Two Kalyanaks narrated in this Puja are Chyavan (conception) and Janma (birth) of Tirthankar. After this life the soul of Tirthankar reaches its climax and achieves liberation from life and death cycle (attains Moksha).
• This Puja recital explains the effect of Bhagawan’s birth on the whole universe, narrates how glorious the occasion was and how much joys were shared by all the living souls including all heavenly souls.
• Puja in the end includes Ashta Prakari Puja and wishes Shanti (peace) for all living beings and rejoices the event by performing Aarti, Mangal Divo, Shanti Kalash and Chaitya Vandan.

On Saturday, September 16, 2023, we will be having our Swapna Ceremony

JSMW invites all Sangh members to be part of this auspicious event

NOTE:  To minimize wastage of food, please RSVP only if you are able to attend and have dinner.  If in the event you are not able to attend or have dinner, please contact info@jainsocietydc.org immediately to have your registration modified.  

Deadline for Registration:  Monday, September 11, 2023 | 5:30pm EST

Swami Vatsalya Dinner Registration
https://www.jsmw.org/2023-swami-vatsalya/ 

Swapna Ceremony celebration during Paryushan is a great opportunity for doing Sadharmik Vatsalya.

Please consider donating to Swami Vatsalya to fulfill the easiest annual Shravak kartavya / duty.

For latest updated information visit https://www.jsmw.org/paryushan-2023/

Paryushan and Das Lakshana Parvas are right around the corner. It is the parvas of achieving spiritual upliftment by progressing on our path of non-violence towards all living beings. In the true spirit of celebrating Paryushan Parva and Das Lakshana Parva, we all need to be thinking about giving up dairy and minimizing harm to five sense animals. This request is at an individual level as well as to all Jain Centers within North America. To make this transition easy, the Jain Vegan Initiative has developed a Vegan Paryushan / Das Lakshana Cookbook last year which received an overwhelming reception from the Jain community. Below is the link to download the Cookbook.

Link for the cookbooks

The above link also includes the link for a PDF version of Pramodaben Chitrabhanu’s book, “The Rainbow Food on the Vegan Palate”. This is the Vegan Jain Cookbook that can be used outside of Paryushan and Das Lakshana Parvas.

As we all know, consumption of dairy is deeply rooted in our Jain diet across the globe. We as Jains are consuming dairy because many of us are not aware of violence involved against innocent animals in the process of producing milk. Giving up dairy, at least during Paryushan Parva and Das Lakshana Parva will be an important first step in our journey of achieving non-violence for five-sensed animals. This cookbook will help you in accomplishing that goal. You can use all different forms of dairy alternatives to cook the items to which you are accustomed. It contains recipes with pictures and easy to follow instructions. Because the recipes in this cookbook also exclude fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts, you can also use it to make dishes that are suitable for tithis.

Eliminating dairy from our day-to-day diet will help us tremendously in improving our health. Consumption of animal products, including high fat dairy products, is one of the leading causes for heart disease among Indians. Eliminating dairy products will also help in reducing animal agriculture which is one of the leading causes for greenhouse gases, global warming and deforestation. By eliminating dairy, we will help our future generations and all living beings who depend on us to save the planet.

Please share this cookbook with all your friends and family members. If you would like more Jain vegan recipes for everyday use, please go to https://veganjains.com/recipes/

Humbly yours,

Ahimsak Eco Vegan Committee

JSMW New Temple

Donation in Rupees

Currently, we are running short on funds in Rupees in India for paying to the marble and other contractors. 

Members are requested to offer help by sending their donation in Rupees.

Donation of Rs. 2 lakhs or more can be paid in India and the corresponding amount in dollars calculated @ Rs. 80 per US Dollar will be credited to your General Fund account (e.g., for a donation of Rs. 4 lakhs, $5000 will be credited).

The funds credited in the General fund account can be used for taking any Labh/Gheeboli for the New Jain Center Project.

Please note that for donations made in Rupees,

NO CHARITY DONATION RECEIPT can be given for claiming charity donation on tax return to IRS. If you are taking standard deduction (and not itemizing deductions) on your tax return, you can offer this help with no monetary loss. 

If you are willing to help, please contact

Pragnesh Shah at  301-305-4261 or by e-mail to newtemplefinance@jainsocietydc.org. 

Join All of Us  

JSMW has teamed up with the All of Us Research Program to invite one million people across the U.S. to help build one of the most diverse health databases in history. While it takes a bit of time to signup, your future generations will thank you for your time (and blood/DNA, should you decide to donate.) Join all of us in accelerating health research!

Don't wait. Act at bit.ly/jainsociety or email aou@jainsocietydc.org. Drive change today!