Dear YM2 Reader,

Jai Jinendra! YJA would like to remember and express sympathy

towards those affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The devastating events which have unfolded over the past weeks have

been painful and have impacted hundreds of thousands of people. As

Japan faces an uphill battle of recovery, we pray for all those that may

have lost their lives, loved ones, homes, and were affected in any way

by these destructive chain of events.

This issue brings back memories of recent YJA projects and events and

looks forward to upcoming ones. Read about the first hand

experiences from various attendees and participants. Email us at

projects@yja.org with ideas for what YOU would like to be involved

in. Read a Jain story, cook a vegan delight, or learn about the symbols

in Jainism. Contact us at youngminds@yja.org to share your views on

Jainism, ask questions you may want answered, or share something to

cook up with your fellow youth!

Lastly in light of the victims of the disasters in Japan, we would like to

end this message with the Navakār Mantra.

Sincerely,

Your 2010-2011 YJA Executive Board

Welcome Message

B U S I N E S S N A M EB U S I N E S S N A M EB U S I N E S S N A M EB U S I N E S S N A M E

Young Minds222 M A R C H 2 0 1 1 Y O U N G J A I N S O F A M E R I C A

SAVE THE

DATE !

UPCOMING

Y JA EVENTS

• March 25-27 -

2nd Annual

YJA West

Region

Retreat

• April 22-24 -

Southeast

Regional

Retreat

Jain Symbols 2

Giving Back to Pathshala

2-3

Important Dates 3

Southeast Retreat 4

Once Upon a Time 5-6

West Coast Retreat 7

Ski Trip Memories 8-9

Sweet Tooth 10

South Region Retreat

11

Donate 12

Inside this issue:

P U B L I C A T I O N

C O M P L I E D B Y

A M I M A R U

P A G E 2

“Doing this project

made me

remember a lot of

the tirthankars

and symbols that I

had forgotten from

my previous

pathshala years”

Flag of

Jainism

Giving Back to Your Pathshala

Do You Know Jain Symbols?

The flag of Jainism is first

mentioned in a holy text

from 5th Century BC. The

colors represent the five

most respected beings: Red

for Siddhas, Yellow for

Acharyas, White for

Arihantas, Green for

Upadhyas, and Dark Blue for

Sadhus and Sadhvis.

The three dots above the

Swastika represent the

three jewels: Samyak

Darshan (right faith),

Samyak Gyan (right

knowledge), and Samyak

Charitra (right conduct).

The curved arc on the

top is the Siddhashila

and represents the

abode of all liberated

souls (the dot within it

represents a Siddha). It

is the final resting place

of the soul that destroys

all Karmas.

Referenced from: Jain World (http://www.jainworld.com/education/jainsymbol.htm)

Do you know

the meaning of

this symbol?

Please submit your

response to

Khushbu.vora@yja.org;

we may publish your

response in the next

monthly newsletter!

group of high school students to create simple card games about Tirthankaras. These games are then distributed to the younger age groups at that Pathshala. The pilot trial of this project was conducted by Pankti Tamboli on December 5th, 2011 at the Jain Center of Greater Boston. Below is feedback from the project.

HOW DID YOU LIKE

THIS PROJECT THAT WE

DID?

Kopal Jain

“Doing this project made me remember a lot of the tirthankars and symbols that I have forgotten from my previous pathshala years. “

Rishabh Kodia

“I like how the project was interactive. This was better than reading Tirthankars and symbols from the book, it helped to write them out.”

HOW HAS PATHSHALA

AND JAINISM INFLU-

ENCED YOUR LIFE? Kopal Jain- “I’ve met lots of Jain friends. Now I have a lot of courage to stand up and tell my friends what my religion is about. I convince them that a lot of animals get hurt when I see people doing actions like eating meat.”

Sahil Shah- “JCGB Pathshala is a good place to learn about Jainism. The teachers give an in

Like many Jain youth today, I learned much of what I know about Jainism through Pathshala. I learned not only about the fundamentals, but also how to apply the concepts to daily life. In these monthly classes, I learned from other kids about how to speak up and request vegetarian food at every school or club event. We worked together on methods of resolving emotional issues with parents, friends, and others in a Jain manner.

To show our appreciation for Pathshala, we are organizing the Pathshala Games Project. The project involves one Pathshala class in which a YJA representative leads a

Y O U N G M I N D S 2

By

Khushbu

Vora

Giving Back to your Pathshala Continued

P A G E 3 Y O U N G J A I N S O F A M E R I C A

depth understanding of the Jain religion. Pathshala teaches us what is good and bad, and how to be a Jain. We learn things that help us in our lives later on.”

Rakhi Jain- “JCGB Pathshala has been a vital part of me growing and becoming the person I am today. I made my best friends at Pathshala, learned to work on a team in high school, college, and at work practicing anekantavad, learned humbleness, and a ‘can do’

attitude from teachers and community.”

Pankti Tamboli- “JCGB Pathshala has brought me lots of new friends as well as bringing me closer to the religion. I’ve learned to apply the principles in order to live a Jain Way of Life. I really enjoy getting involved in all the events that YJA puts together, for example the Northeast Mid-Atlantic winter retreat. It allows us to connect other kids around the country.”

“JCGB

Pathshala has

been a vital

part of me

growing and

becoming the

person I am

today”

Y O U N G M I N D S 2

Tie A String Around Your Tie A String Around Your Tie A String Around Your Tie A String Around Your

• April 16th Mahavir Jayanti

P A G E 4

The Southeast Regional Retreat

April 22nd - 24th , 2011

YJA Presents

Y O U N G M I N D S 2

Date: Friday April 22, 2011—Sunday April 24th, 2011

Location: George L. Smith State Park

Twin City, GA

Contact: info@yja.org for questions

Registration: www.yja.org

* Register before April 3, 2011 to save $15.00!*

Limited Spots Left.

Register Now!

Enjoy a weekend of exploring

the connection between mind,

body, and soul, with plenty of

fun activities, amazing people,

and memories to last you a

lifetime!

P A G E 5

Once upon a time, there lived a poor woman and her son in a small village. One day, there was a fesitival in the village and all the kids, including the poor boy were playing together. After playing, all except the poor boy, started to eat Kheer (rice pudding) that they had brought with them. The poor boy did not have Kheer to eat. He felt bad and ran home to his mother. He asked her if she would make some Kheer for him since all the other children were eating it. His mother said that she could not make Kheer and told him to eat whatever she had cooked. He started crying and insisted on having Kheer. His mother could not bear to see him cry. Therefore, she went to a neighbor’s house and borrowed some milk, sugar, and rice, and made Kheer for her son. She poured the Kheer into a dish and left to bring some water from the well.

As the boy was about to start eating, he heard the words, “Dharma Läbha” (meaning, may you be blessed with spirituality, usually spoken by Jain Sädhus and Sädhvis when they arrive at a lay person’s house for Gochari-food). He saw a Jain Sädhu at the door. Without hesitation, the hungry boy invivted the monk in and offered him the Kheer. He pured all the Kheer from his plate into the mon’s container. He was happy that he could offer this to the monk even though nothing was left for him to eat. His good intentions and his pious action helped him earn good Karma.

In his next life, he was born as Shälibhadra in a very rich family. His life was like being in heaven. His parents were Bhadrä Shethäni and Gobhadra Sheth. His father had renounced the world to become a monk when Shälibhadra was a young boy. His mother provided him all the comforts and luxury and never let him out of the palace for fear that he might become a monk like his father. It was said that even the heavenly beings were jealous of his lavish lifestyle. When he grew up, he was married to 32 beautiful women.

One day, some merchants from Nepal came to town to sell some very exquisite diamond studded shawls. They went to King Shrenik’s court where the king told them that he could not afford to buy such expensive shawls. The merchants returned from court in utter disappointment because they were hoping to sell some shawls to the king. The merchants also thought that since the king could not afford to buy any, then none of his people would have enough wealth to buy their shawls in this city and decided to leave town.

When Bhadrä Shethäni heard this, she sent a messenger and requested the merchants to visit her. The merchants were reluctant to go because if the king could not buy a shawl, how could any of the residents buy such expensive shawls! When they reached the house, Bhadrä Shethäni asked, “How many shawls do you have?” They said they had sixteen shawls. She said, “Only sixteen? I need thirty-two shawls because I have thirty-two daughters-in-law.” Ther merchants thought she was joking believing that she would not even buy one. She said, “Please take out those shawls.” They took out the sixteen shawls. The merchants were surprised that without a second thought she bought all sixteen shawls. They were further astounded to see her tearing such precious shawls into two pieces in front of them and giving a piece to each of her daughters-in-law to wipe their feet. The merchants were stunned but left with joy. The daughters-in-law used the pieces once and threw them away.

One of the servants at Shälibhadra’s palace knew the queen so she took a piece of shawl for the queen. The queen was baffled but happy that such rich people lived in her kingdom. She told King Shrenik about the shawls and he was also very proud of such rich people upholding the good name of his kingdom. He invited Shälibhadra to his court to honor him. When Bhadrä Shethäni found out, she went to the king and told him that her son was very shy, and invited the king to come to their palace. King Shrenik accepted the invitation and went to Shälibhadra’s palace. When King Shrenik reached there, he realized that his own palace was nothing compared to Shälibhadra’s palace. Bhadrä Shethäni offered him a place to sit and asked Shälibhadra to come down to honor and respect the king.

Once Upon a Time - Shälibhadra

Y O U N G M I N D S 2

Y O U N G J A I N S O F A M E R I C A

The boy happily offering Kheer

to the monk

Once Upon a Time - Shälib

hadra

Continued

Shälibhadra did not know anything about the king or his kingdom and thought that there was some sort of merchandise that his mother wanted to show him. So he said, “I do not want to see it but you go ahead and buy it.” His mother said, “This is not mer-chandise. He is our king, our master, and you need to come down to greet and honor him.” The word “master” started ringing in his ears. He wondered, “Why should I have a master over me? I should be the master of myself.” While thinking like this, he came down and paid his respect to the king, but he did not stay very long.

He kept thinking that he was not a free person because there was someone like a king and master over him. He started to think about his father (who had become a monk) and the real meaning of life. He decided at that very moment to become a monk and told his family about his decision. His mother and all his wives tried to convince him to spend some more time with them. However, he was determined to renounce the world. Instead of renouncing all his possessions and family members at once, he agreed to spend one day with each of his wives and at the end of thirty-two days he would become a monk. He started to do that the very same day.

Shälibhadra had a sister named Subhadrä. She was married to Dhannä. Dhannä had eight wives. One day Subhadrä was giving her husband Dhannä a bath and suddenly tears rolled down her face and fell on him. He asked her why she was crying. She told him that her brother had decided to become a monk and that he had been spending one day with each of his wives and at the end of 32 days he will become a monk. Dhannä laughed and told Subhadrä, “Your brother is a coward. If he wants to become a monk, then why wait for 32 days?” Subhadrä was upset to hear that, and told her husband, “It is easier said than done.” This sparked awareness in Dhannä’s mind and he told her, “I am leaving all eight of you right now to become a monk.” Subhadrä was taken by surprise. She thought that her husband was joking. However, Dhannä said, “It is too late now. I am determined to become a monk. If you all want to join me, you are welcome.” Seeing Dhannä’s determination, Subhadrä and his seven wives decided to become nuns.

Dhannä then went to his brother-in-law Shälibhadra’s palace and challenged him, “Hey Shälibhadra! If you really want to leave your family and possessions, then what are you waiting for? Join me.”

Shälibhadra heard him and accepted the challenged. He told his wives and other family members, “I am leaving you all today.” He went down to join his brother-in-law. His wives joined him too. All of them went to Lord Mahävir, accepted Dikshä and became monks and nuns.

After observing severe penances as monks, Dhannä and Shälibhadra were born as heavenly beings in heaven. From there, they will be born again as human beings and attain liberation.

Selfless service always pays off. Neighbors helping

neighbors reflects a caring society. The virtue of a

charitable act in the life of a little boy rewarded

multiple times in the life of Shälibhadra. As a result,

he was able to leave everything easily. Good deeds

always leave an imprint on the soul. Good deeds

and practicing penance ultimately leads to the

liberation of the soul.

“Jain Story Book” part of the JAINA Education Series

Bhadrä Shethäni buying shawls for her

daughter-in-laws

P A G E 6

Y O U N G M I N D S 2

P A G E 7

Y O U N G M I N D S 2

Y O U N G J A I N S O F A M E R I C A

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“Have you ever felt that instant connection with someone without any communication? Now imagine that connection sprouting up everywhere you turn for two straight days. When the Young Jains of America Ski Retreat placed over 60 Jains – all under thirty years of age and not a single adult present – it felt far different from anything I’ve ever experienced. For once, it was possible to throw back your inhibitions and bond with every single person around you. Each person grew up following the same beliefs and encountering the same decisions in life. Whether you visited India or fasted during Paryushan, there will undoubtedly be that spark of similarity between everyone. And it is that spark that I believe is the instantaneous connection that is rarely found around us. When sixty young Jains were grouped together in rural Pennsylvania, where television, cell phones, and computers were dysfunctional, I initially dreaded not having an instant relay to the rest of the world. However, when I arrived to the Poconos, the exact opposite happened; I forgot the outside world and enjoyed talking with new people who had such a similar past. Little did I know we would all have so much to talk about – our conversations and our games of Mafia and Taboo would go straight through the night until 6:30 am, at which point we would realize today is our last day. And best of all, the Jain principles taught to us are applicable to every one of our lives. There is no need to worry about speaking what’s on your mind because whatever you say will be significant. Lastly, my favorite session involved an anonymous question and answer game which was really enlightening. All in all, the YJA Ski Retreat was one of the greatest week-ends and I can assure you it will be even better next time around. “ — Chintav Shah (High School)

“I can't ski, and I hate the cold, so I never really was intent on going on the YJA ski trip. But this year, some of my family members who were also going convinced me, and I ended up having a really great time! I decided to give snowboarding a go, and learned the art of patience and perseverence (and not crying when 4 year olds were zipping by past me, occasionally asking "Lady, are you okay?"). It was a really good time! I met a lot of interesting people, and since at 20 I was in a weird in-between age of the two sections of YJA I ended up meeting EVERYONE. The sessions were very good, and the one I liked best was called "Jain FAQs" during which many topics, some sensitive, were brought up and discussed thoughtfully and maturely. I had a great time the entire weekend- sessions, snowboarding, great food, great people, and mafia till 5 am! I'll be back next year.” — Niti Shah

P A G E 8

Y O U N G M I N D S 2

Poc

onos

Poc

onos

Poc

onos

Poc

onos

P A G E 9 Y O U N G J A I N S O F A M E R I C A

Y O U N G M I N D S 2

Sweet Tooth

Ingredients: 3 cups/15 ounces flour 2 cups/400g sugar 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons cocoa powder 2 tablespoons vinegar 3/4 cup oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups water In a large mixing bowl, wisk together the dry ingredients and then add wet ingredients. Stir the entire mixture and bake in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit / 180oC oven for 30 minutes. When done, a knife inserted into the middle of the cake should come back out clean. Remember to wait at least 10 minutes after removing the cake from the oven before attempting to remove it from your baking dish. Greasing the baking dish will make this job easier. To make the torte in the picture (or

cupcakes), spoon into greased cupcake tin. Baking time will be reduced to 15-20 minutes. Test at around 15 minutes. Recipe will make a dozen tortes. Raspberry glaze recipe (Based upon the recipe on the back of my bag of frozen raspberries): Ingredients: 12oz fresh or frozen raspberries (defrost if using frozen) 1/2 cup/100g sugar Note: this will result in a fairly sweet glaze, if you want more tartness, start with less sugar, taste, and then add more as you follow the instructions below In a sauce pan, combine raspberries and sugar over med-low heat. Using a spoon, crush the raspberry while mixing in the sugar. Keep stirring and crushing until the mixture starts to look like the glaze with seeds in it. Let simmer on low heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. If your glaze is too thick, add water a tablespoon at a time until thinned. If your glaze is too thin, let simmer longer until desired thickness is reached. Remove from heat

and carefully(!) pour into a blender. Start by pulsing and then puree using a slow speed until smooth. You are blending a hot, sticky liquid so be careful! If you don't know how to blend hot liquids safely ask someone who does. Once pureed, pour through a fine sieve to catch the remaining seeds. Use a spoon to help push the glaze through the sieve. Spoon a thin layer of glaze over your cake/tortes. Note: If your cake is cold by this point, warm it up a bit before glazing and serving. Use less glaze than in the picture (Oops!) and let it drizzle down the sides. Serve with a small scoop of ice cream (or sorbet if you wish to keep it vegan). Courtesy of University of Bristol Vegetarian &

Vegan Society

Ingredients (Makes four mini-cakes): 1 1/2 (190 grams) cups flour 1 (200 grams) cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup pineapple juice 1/4 cup water 1/3 cup applesauce 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple rings, in unsweetened pineapple juice 1/4 cup (45 grams) brown sugar, unpacked Preheat oven to 350oF. Grease four small (4-5 oz capacity) ramekins. Pour juice off a can of pineapple into 1 cup measuring cup--it should be about 3/4 cup juice. Add water to make 1 cup. In a separate bowl, combine apple sauce,

lemon juice and juice water. Place a pineapple ring at the bottom of each ramekin. Sprinkle each with equal amounts of brown sugar. Quickly mix wet ingredients into dry, stirring quickly to combine ingredients well and get out the big lumps. Divide evenly among ramekins by spooning batter in one tablespoon at a time and level off after each load. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Rotate every 10 mins or so to ensure even baking. Let it cool. Place a serving plate on top of cake. Flip cakes over onto serving plate. You may need to trim the cake bottom (originally top) for a nicer presentation. It might be easier to do this while the cakes are still in the ramekins. Courtesy of Food.com

Raspberry Glazed Chocolate Torte

By

Nirav

Shah

P A G E 1 0

Y O U N G M I N D S 2

Upside Down Pineapple Cake

P A G E 1 1 Y O U N G J A I N S O F A M E R I C A

Y O U N G M I N D S 2

Please Make a Contribution to YJA Today to Pass Jain Principles &

Practice onto the Next Generation of Youth!

Jai Jinendra! The Executive Board for the Young Jains of America (YJA) plans to be very active in bringing Jain principles to all youth across the country. We would like to take this opportunity to briefly discuss our current projects and how they will make a difference to the YJA community.

• National Swadhyay hosted by a group of scholars to raise awareness about Jain Principles and ideals and address youth problems, difficulties, and concerns.

• Website Reconstruction to develop a professional website for Jain youth and create a forum to share Jain principles.

• Regional Retreats from the East to West Coasts to instill a sense of religious and cultural pride among Jain youth.

• National Service Day to allow youth to participate in charitable community activities and “Be the Change.”

• National Dinners in Jain communities to encourage youth to both develop new friendships among Jain youth and strengthen current relationships within local Jain youth groups.

With the support of donors like you, YJA has grown to be the largest Jain Youth Organization in the World. For the YJA Executive Board, this an honor to be a part of a group that motivates and inspires countless lives.

Please consider supporting our efforts with a personal contribution to YJA today. A contribution of any amount will provide tremendous support to instill a sense of among youth about their Jain heritage. The ultimate goal of the YJA Executive Board is to prepare today's Jain youth to become tomorrow's Jain leaders. Not only do we appreciate your donations, but the fundraising team would like to hear from you! Please e-mail fundraising@yja.org with your comments, suggestions, or recommendations for improvement

by YJA. If you have any questions regarding Young Minds, please e-mail youngminds@yja.org. Jai Jinendra and Michhami Dukkadam. Thank you for your wonderful contribution. Best Regards, Young Jains of America Executive Board Email: info@yja.org Phone: 757-YJA-ORG1

YOUNG JAINS OF AMERICA CONTRIBUTION FORM

Full Name: __________________________________________________________________ Company Name (Optional): ____________________________________________________ Address: _______________________________ City: ____________ ST: ____ Zip: ________ Daytime Phone: (______)______________ Evening Phone: (______)_______________ Email Address: _______________________________________

Please make your check payable to Young Jains of America and mail it to:

Young Jains of America c/o Vruddhi Choksy

36 North Broad Street Fairborn, OH 45324

P A G E 1 2

Y O U N G M I N D S 2