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President's Message
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Dear Sadharmik brothers and sisters,
Pranam & Jai Jinendra!
I'm sure most of you must be aware of the highly inappropriate act happening for the Jain and other religious Pratimas being abused, at the Casinos in Las Vegas. JAINA is working with other organizations to solve the issue and request you to keep faith and patience. Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay, in their recent statement, said that they would remove the statues and apologize for offending sentiments of the people.
JAINA will leave no stone unturned until we place the Pratimas where they belong. Till then my humble request to everyone to please have patience and hold on sharing these disturbing images.
JAINA had its first Board Of Directors meeting of the year 2020 conducted on June 20 & 21, 2020 virtually for the first time in its history due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Details are given below.
On Saturday, July 11, Young Jains of America, in partnership with the Jain Society of North Texas and the Jain Center of New Jersey, will be hosting a full-day, virtual event called YJA Day 2020 that is free and open to all ages. Registrations are open. More details are given below.
Sincerely,
Mahesh Wadher
JAINA President
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FOUNDATION ROOM AT MANDALAY BAY TO REMOVE PRATIMAS AFTER REQUESTS FROM RELIGIOUS LEADERS
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JAINA is very happy to report that the unfortunate incidences that came to light last week at the Foundation Room Nightclub in Las Vegas with respect to the idol of our Tirthankara has stopped. The owner of the club has apologized and given assurances that “We will work diligently to ensure such insensitive depictions don’t happen again. Specifically, we are removing the statue of Mahavira from our premises”.
The swift action by the club came after the faith-based groups in Reno and Las Vegas came together in protest against the disrespectful incidences. JAINA’s past President Dr. Sulekh Jain, a Las Vegas resident strategized our response in consultation with the JAINA leadership and took the lead in the protest movement. Sulekhji contacted a Hindu priest Rajan Zed of Reno, Nevada who put together a coalition of Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, and Jain leaders and used social media to stop the insensitive acts of madness. Overnight, Las Vegas newspapers and TV channels took notice of the protests and brought about a happy outcome.
Thru this message, we express our gratitude to Shri Rajan Zed and Christian, Buddhist, and Jewish leaders who joined
hands right away with us in this cause.
But it is not yet the time to celebrate. we are getting to the bottom of this by exploring and getting to the roots of this problem. In our quest for exploration, we are uncovering that the problem is more complex and deep-rooted and may exist at 7 other locations of Foundation Clubs in major cities in the USA. We feel that the owners of these clubs will understand our concern and seek to resolve it at the root level quietly rather than handling the PR disaster. A similar situation exists for several Hindu pratimas too.
JAINA is working to make sure the Jain Pratimas reach back safely to where they belong and will leave no stone unturned until we get it done. Till then we request everyone to please have patience and hold on sharing these disturbing images.
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JAINA EC & BOD Meetings, June 2020
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 JAINA had its first Board Of Directors meeting of the year 2020 conducted on 20 & 21, 2020 virtually for the first time in its history due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Executive Committee meeting was on June 19. The Board Of Directors meeting was held on June 20 & 21 which was attended by JAINA EC, JAINA Committee Chairs, Jain Center Directors and Presidents. The opening of the BOD meeting on June 20th was blessed with Manglik by Acharya Shri Lokesh Muniji from India.
During the BOD meeting, President, Mahesh Wadher welcomed everyone and gave a presentation on what is JAINA as an organization, its activities, various achievements in the last one year, and future plans. Two new Committees were introduced - 1. Scouting, and 2. Endowment and Planned Giving. There was a huge list of many accomplishments by JAINA in the last one year which included COVID-19 Relief Fund & JAINA Cultural Show for Humanity, JAINA Online University, JAINA India Foundation etc.
JAINA’s new website was launched during this meeting.
Later, each committee gave a presentation on their recent activities and future plans. Another important agenda discussed was how JAINA can help Jain
Center Directors and possible activities to be carried out to unite the community of North America.
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LATEST NEWS FROM JSCNC
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The Jain Study Center of Northern Carolina (JSCNC) has raised $7800 towards the COVID-19 response fund! The center thanks everyone who supported this urgent and impactful cause! The funds have been distributed towards different local needs with the largest contributions to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC, Interfaith Food Shuttle, and HSNC relief efforts. These organizations have expressed a lot of appreciation for our community.
Members of our JSCNC Assistance Program (JAP) are also engaged with HSNC in preparing meals that go to those who are
hit hard by the recent crisis in our community.
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Jain Story: Queen Rukmani
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Whatever happens with us is due to our own karma (good or bad deeds). It is like action-reaction and we have to pay for whatever we have done. They don’t give instant results, as it takes time to give results.
There is an inspiring story of Rukmani. She was a queen and wife of Shri Krishna. According to Jain accounts, Shri Krishna was a cousin of Lord Neminath,
the 22nd Jain Tirthankar (Ford-Builder). Lord Neminath was younger than Shri Krishna. By seeing the animals which were to be slaughtered for his marriage,
Prince Nemikumar had developed great compassion and after releasing those innocent animals he announced his decision for renunciation.
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Quote
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As gold does not cease to be gold even if it is heated in the fire; an enlightened man does not cease to be enlightened on being tortured by the effect of karma.
- Bhagwan Mahavir
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YJA Day 2020 - Saturday, July 11th
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 On Saturday, July 11, Young Jains of America, in partnership with the Jain Society of North Texas and the Jain Center of New Jersey, will be hosting a full-day, virtual event called YJA Day 2020 that is free and open to all ages. Themed Progressing with Purpose, this event’s mission is to address the social issues and hurdles our community and the world-at-large face head-on. To do this we have brought together an inspiring roster of guest speakers composed of leaders, activists, and experts in their fields. Register for the event at virtual.yja.org! Below are some events specifically designed for adults:
Morning Yoga (10:30 am EST/ 7:30 am PST): Led by renowned instructor Avni Talsania, this yoga session for all levels will give you a taste of various yoga fundamentals: pranayama/breathwork, Surya namaskar, an energizing vinyasa flow, and a soothing cool-down. The session will strike the balance between invigorating your body, grounding your mind, and drawing your attention inwards to the soul. Start the day with your best foot forward, literally!
Adult Pravachan (11 am EST/8 am PST): Current events have been fast-paced and divisive, leaving many searching for Jain ideals such as ahimsa, aparigraha, and anekantvada in the world around them. The respected Tejal Shah of Mumbai will give a pravachan to help the parents and youth of YJA better understand and adapt to the current events of the world through the lens of Jain teachings and scripture.
Details about our other sessions can be found at virtual.yja.org!
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