Daughter |
: |
Ma, what are the Jaina religious practices ? |
|
Mother |
: |
Jaina religious practices
are Deva-Puja (Worship of Jina), Guru-Upasti (proximity or scriptures),
Sanyam (practice of self control), Tapa (penance) and Dana (Charity). We
Jainas should practise these six essentials daily. these are essentially
performed by the Jainas, so these are known as "Essentials" |
Daughter |
: |
Ma, my friends ask that if the true practice of
Ahimsa and Satya lie in living our daily lives, then why go to temple and
why pray and worship ? |
Mother |
: |
Oh my child, our idols of
Tirthankaras in the temples remind us of the nature of Reality. They inspire
us to make spiritual progress. During worship, we are happy and relaxed, we
enjoy peace of mind. |
Son |
: |
What is Deva-Puja and how can we do it ? |
Mother |
: |
Worship or prayer of
supreme souls is Deva-Puja. Supreme souls are arihantas and Siddhas. Jainas
worship or pray before the idols of Tirthankaras (the supreme souls). The
procedure of prayer or worship (Puja-vidhi) has been outlined in religious
books. While we are doing puja, we remember the virtues of Supreme Souls. We
recite their virtues and we bow down before their idols with deep devotion.
During the puja, we should have good thoughts and feelings. |
Daughter |
: |
What do we mean by Guru-Upasti ? |
Mother |
: |
All those monks who
practise the teachings of Jaina religion are spiritual Gurus. We Jainas
should achieve proximity or nearness with the Guru and always feel their
presence in our lives with respect. This is called Guru-Upasti. Our
spiritual Gurus have control over their passions and preach the teachings of
religion through practices. Thus, Gurus are spiritually ahead of the
house-holders. |
Daughter |
: |
Ma, What do we mean by Sastra-Svadhyaya ? |
Mother |
: |
The study of scriptures
preached by "Jina" is Sastra-Svadhyaya. We Jainas should study the
scriptures and religious books daily. its purpose is to enrich the knowledge
or the right path; to practise sympathy and compassion to all; and to refine
our moral and spiritual efforts. Svadhyaya is also helpful for educating our
youngsters, friends and others. |
Son |
: |
Ma, How can a house-holder practise
self-control ? |
Mother |
: |
Self control means not
having bad thoughts, anger, greed, jealousy or hatred. So, we Jainas should
practise self control on our thoughts and activities as far as possible.
Wantlessness should be our goal of life. We should minimise our desires and
passions and regulate our daily necessities which would save us from
exploitations and committing crimes. We should control our diet and other
worldly pleasures. Self control gives us self-satisfaction and inner
fulfillment. |
Daughter |
: |
What do we mean by Tapa ? |
Mother |
: |
Tapa or penance is a
control on desires. It disintegrates our karmas of bad deeds and induces us
to dissociate from bad habits. Penance gives us self-confidence and develops
our will-power to do good. So, we Jainas should perform some penance every
day. penance can be external like fasting (Upavasa) and internal like
reverence (Vinaya), meditation etc. |
Daughter |
: |
What is charity in Jainism ? |
Mother |
: |
All religions highly praise
the virtue of the charity or donation. Every body agrees that helping others
in cash or kind is admirable. In Jainism, Charity or donation is Dana, which
means giving one's wealth for mutual benefits. So, the donation to poor ad
needy persons should be with compassion and to the monks with reverence. A
donor should not have any desire for material gains from the donations and
should draw joy in giving. Actually, charity is self-sacrifice. In Jainism
charity is of four kinds-donation of food (Ahara-dana); donation of medicine
(Ausadha-dana), donation of books or education (Jnana dana) and giving
protection or freedom from fear (Abhaya-dana or Avasa-dana).
My child, by proper practice of six essentials, we improve our faith and
knowledge. It makes us a better individual. It helps us to love all and
serve all. |