By NIMMI RAGHUNATHAN
ONTARIO, CA – On the evening of July 5 as thousands of Californians raced to duck under tables and get outdoors, 3,450 Jains at the Ontario Convention Center sat in prayer as a spiritual leader led them in the chant of the Navkar Mantra. It was a spectacular show of calm but...
ONTARIO, CA – On the evening of July 5 as thousands of Californians raced to duck under tables and get outdoors, 3,450 Jains at the Ontario Convention Center sat in prayer as a spiritual leader led them in the chant of the Navkar Mantra. It was a spectacular show of calm but...
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 |  | clearly also an expression of faith – a surrendering to the learned and more powerful forces. Through the entire convention, organizers led by SoCal’s Mahesh Wadher aimed to impart and educate the gathered, on devotion and transformation. Five tracks with the central themes of Seva, Satsang, Samarpan, Sadhana and |
Self Realization was created and a slew of speakers each afternoon exhorted, explained and cajoled their listeners into getting their lives focused on a larger goal both, at the temporal and spiritual levels.
Speakers
The mornings featured the heavy hitters. On July 5, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev was his blindingly articulate self. Focusing on non-violence or Ahimsa, one of three main tenets of the Jain faith, he spoke of Gandhiji: a man who found peaceful solutions for violent problems. He defined peace only half joking: when humans let things be and don’t mess with anything there is peace; he then pointed out “most people only rest in peace.” He declared, “there is no such thing as world peace” and only peaceful individuals can create a peaceful world. The Sadhguru drew applause and appreciation with his points on developing an inner non-violent self and showing how an interconnected world would benefit, saying there is “nothing like your life and my life only enhanced lives.”
Philip Wollen, the well-known animal rights activist spurred everyone on to “make this the Ahimsa century.” Pushing his case for veganism, he said, “George Bush got it wrong, the axis of evil does not run through Iraq but our dining tables. The weapons of mass destruction are our forks and knives and increasingly our chopsticks.”
Ingrid Newkirk, the famed founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals began by saying that while growing up she had classmates who had wanted to be ballerinas and the like but, “I always wanted to be a Jain.” She said she found them to be the most ethical of peoples and she learned the absolute worth of kindness from them. She referred to the 1985 case at UC Riverside where a monkey was blinded for a study and the help she received from members of the Jain community in shutting that program down. She remained true to her reputation, making people sit up with her choice words defining artificial insemination of cows as rape and taunting adults who drank milk with, “it is for babies!”
Unique
Among the things that made the 20th biennial convention standout was, according to several people, that it was the most inter-faith in its programming and approach. ISKCON monk and motivational speaker Gaur Gopal Das was among those who headlined the event.
Another interesting aspect was that the organizers led by the convention’s convener, Mahesh Wadher determined that the food service on all days be contracted out to volunteers of the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Chino Hills instead of to a professional caterer. The result were 14 delightful meals based on a menu that closely walked the line on veganism – a practical demonstration of what was being urged from on stage.
Sessions
The first Jain is said to have arrived on the shores of America in 1893: Veerchand Gandhi, 125 years ago came to attend the Parliament of Religions. Today, JAINA says there are 165,000 community members in North America striving to live a value-based life. Not only were convention goers helped in this but were also encouraged to explore what the religion can teach the world.
Among other things, the Jain tenets of Non-Possessiveness or Aparigraha and Multiple Viewpoints or Anekantvad were addressed by the 22 sadhus and sadhvis who had come from Bihar, Nepal, Kutch, Gujarat and other parts of India including Acharya Lokesh Muni and Gurudev Rakeshbhai Jhaveri. The follower of Acharya Chandanaji of India – the first sadhvi to receive the title of acharya - Sadhvi Shilapiji drove a car in procession on the opening day of July 4 and sang a mellifluous Mat Bhool Veer Vani Ko from on stage, providing inspiration to women devotees.
A big draw was the motivational speaker Rahul Kapoor Jain who was scheduled to speak only once but given the demand to hear him, was quickly requested to accommodate one more on the final day.
The children and youth meanwhile had their own programs of education and discussion including Jain Connect for ages 21-42, which offered perspectives on making friends or finding a special someone. Youth also enjoyed the Jain Academic Bowl, a Jeopardy-style vocabulary contest.
At final count were some staggering numbers: eight tracks featuring 86 breakout sessions and featuring 90 speakers.
Wadher, who addressed the crowd on the opening day said the mega event had been put together with the help of 600 volunteers, 45 committees and a central planning team that had worked diligently for the past year and a half. He also asked the crowd to maintain a minute’s silence for the late Gurudev Chitrabhanu the renowned Jain leader who had made the US his home and was tireless in bringing the Jain community together irrespective of sect and was the inspiration in the formation of JAINA. Wadher mourned his loss, saying this was the first convention without the spiritual leader.
Entertainment
The inspiring and all inclusive vision of the Gurudev was palpable. The convention featured several Jain groups from across North America come together seamlessly as one, actively volunteering and participating. It was nicely encapsulated in the cultural program of July 5. Titled, ‘One world, one rhythm’ the colorful show had dances and music from North America, Europe and varied parts of India. It culminated in every single person present at the convention center, including seniors, rising to their feet to dance and sway along. Other evenings featured a show ‘Bollywood Night,’ and an evening of Raas Garba with live music.
Recognized
At the conclusion of the convention, volunteers were recognized and praised for their dedication. Attendees left with smiles on their faces, charged with purpose to live a life worth living.
Speakers
The mornings featured the heavy hitters. On July 5, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev was his blindingly articulate self. Focusing on non-violence or Ahimsa, one of three main tenets of the Jain faith, he spoke of Gandhiji: a man who found peaceful solutions for violent problems. He defined peace only half joking: when humans let things be and don’t mess with anything there is peace; he then pointed out “most people only rest in peace.” He declared, “there is no such thing as world peace” and only peaceful individuals can create a peaceful world. The Sadhguru drew applause and appreciation with his points on developing an inner non-violent self and showing how an interconnected world would benefit, saying there is “nothing like your life and my life only enhanced lives.”
Philip Wollen, the well-known animal rights activist spurred everyone on to “make this the Ahimsa century.” Pushing his case for veganism, he said, “George Bush got it wrong, the axis of evil does not run through Iraq but our dining tables. The weapons of mass destruction are our forks and knives and increasingly our chopsticks.”
Ingrid Newkirk, the famed founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals began by saying that while growing up she had classmates who had wanted to be ballerinas and the like but, “I always wanted to be a Jain.” She said she found them to be the most ethical of peoples and she learned the absolute worth of kindness from them. She referred to the 1985 case at UC Riverside where a monkey was blinded for a study and the help she received from members of the Jain community in shutting that program down. She remained true to her reputation, making people sit up with her choice words defining artificial insemination of cows as rape and taunting adults who drank milk with, “it is for babies!”
Unique
Among the things that made the 20th biennial convention standout was, according to several people, that it was the most inter-faith in its programming and approach. ISKCON monk and motivational speaker Gaur Gopal Das was among those who headlined the event.
Another interesting aspect was that the organizers led by the convention’s convener, Mahesh Wadher determined that the food service on all days be contracted out to volunteers of the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Chino Hills instead of to a professional caterer. The result were 14 delightful meals based on a menu that closely walked the line on veganism – a practical demonstration of what was being urged from on stage.
Sessions
The first Jain is said to have arrived on the shores of America in 1893: Veerchand Gandhi, 125 years ago came to attend the Parliament of Religions. Today, JAINA says there are 165,000 community members in North America striving to live a value-based life. Not only were convention goers helped in this but were also encouraged to explore what the religion can teach the world.
Among other things, the Jain tenets of Non-Possessiveness or Aparigraha and Multiple Viewpoints or Anekantvad were addressed by the 22 sadhus and sadhvis who had come from Bihar, Nepal, Kutch, Gujarat and other parts of India including Acharya Lokesh Muni and Gurudev Rakeshbhai Jhaveri. The follower of Acharya Chandanaji of India – the first sadhvi to receive the title of acharya - Sadhvi Shilapiji drove a car in procession on the opening day of July 4 and sang a mellifluous Mat Bhool Veer Vani Ko from on stage, providing inspiration to women devotees.
A big draw was the motivational speaker Rahul Kapoor Jain who was scheduled to speak only once but given the demand to hear him, was quickly requested to accommodate one more on the final day.
The children and youth meanwhile had their own programs of education and discussion including Jain Connect for ages 21-42, which offered perspectives on making friends or finding a special someone. Youth also enjoyed the Jain Academic Bowl, a Jeopardy-style vocabulary contest.
At final count were some staggering numbers: eight tracks featuring 86 breakout sessions and featuring 90 speakers.
Wadher, who addressed the crowd on the opening day said the mega event had been put together with the help of 600 volunteers, 45 committees and a central planning team that had worked diligently for the past year and a half. He also asked the crowd to maintain a minute’s silence for the late Gurudev Chitrabhanu the renowned Jain leader who had made the US his home and was tireless in bringing the Jain community together irrespective of sect and was the inspiration in the formation of JAINA. Wadher mourned his loss, saying this was the first convention without the spiritual leader.
Entertainment
The inspiring and all inclusive vision of the Gurudev was palpable. The convention featured several Jain groups from across North America come together seamlessly as one, actively volunteering and participating. It was nicely encapsulated in the cultural program of July 5. Titled, ‘One world, one rhythm’ the colorful show had dances and music from North America, Europe and varied parts of India. It culminated in every single person present at the convention center, including seniors, rising to their feet to dance and sway along. Other evenings featured a show ‘Bollywood Night,’ and an evening of Raas Garba with live music.
Recognized
At the conclusion of the convention, volunteers were recognized and praised for their dedication. Attendees left with smiles on their faces, charged with purpose to live a life worth living.
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