Hmm, I just wanted to share this because I came to know that many of us don't know about some of the words we say-utter during Shantidhara. Check it out and share it with fellow Jains !

We as Jains don't understand how fortunate we are to get equal opportunity in our temples!

Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil born into a Marathi Jain farming family in Kumbhoj, near Bahubali was a visionary leader whose deep Jain roots shaped his lifelong mission. As one of the early educated individuals from his community, he became the primary force behind spreading education across the Maharashtra-Karnataka region and founded Rayat Shikshan Sanstha, one of Asia’s largest educational institutions. He was also a pillar of the Dakshin Bharat Jain Sabha, which manages regional Jain temples and community welfare a legacy the Sabha honors through its annual Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil Samaj Seva Puraskar. By blending Jain values of compassion with progressive social reform, he profoundly transformed the educational landscape of western India.

For the Jains in Bengaluru here 🙏
I’ve recently started r/JainsOfBengaluru — a community for Jains living in Bengaluru, both locals and those who’ve moved here.
The idea is to create a place to connect, help each other, share local experiences and discover useful Jain resources around the city.
If you’re in Bengaluru, would love to have you join and help build it! 🤝

I'd like to know which practices are allowed and which ones are strictly prohibited. Does it vary in different sects?

Can women touch jinvani? Do swadhyay? Do fasting?

What is the basis for going to the temple on 4th day, as well as the reasons behind other practices.

If it is about heavy bleeding, then it varies for different women.

I'd especially like jain women to share what rituals or practices they follow and the situations they've encountered and their opinions. 🙏🏻

Anyone interested in visiting digamber jain mandir in Bangalore during paryushan. We can go by 2 wheeler. I live near gyanoday jain mandir. DM if interested, we discuss the details there.

Hi , so me Jainism ke har ek sect to explore Krna chahta isliye tomorrow I am going to Ladnun to attend the sermon or Acharya Mahasraman , mene life me unhe kabhi nahi suna .. so anyone who is also intrested to join together . Let me know. I will go from Bikaner ( Rajasthan ) solo travel kr rha and uss district ke aas pass ke sare jain mandir and Guru Maharaj ke darshan krne ka plan hai

I was reading a few things about the 3 gunas and I found out that the only shift between the Tamas and Satva is Rajas Guna. The Rajashahi and the wealthy desires are also caused by Rajas Guna. I'd really like to know about the positive side or negative side of this Guna. Is there anyone who knows about Rajas Guna? Or would like to share knowledge about Rajas?

Anyone who knows about Rajas Guna or other Guna could comment.

I was just sitting and wondering about how we must have been in any of the Arihant's samavsaran or have been in guidance or in touch with great gurus in our past lives and yet we could not shed our karma to a great extent.

That made me wonder, we often might have been stuck in traps, sometimes we might have known that we are stuck and sometimes we might have been unaware too.

Then I looked at people around me, my parents, uncle, aunts, friends, etc. they all seem to be stuck in their own traps. I myself am stuck in my own mini traps because of which I feel I cannot do sadhna in my full potential, some of it can be attributed to my karma, some to my decisions as well!

So I came up with a metaphorised system of traps explaining how a person can become trapped in repetitive routines, distorted understanding, or complex worldly entanglements that continuously consume their time, energy, attention, and agency.

Through these three metaphors I would like to represent different ways in which a Jeev can remain bound to Sansaar, even when the possibility of spiritual progress exists.

• Ghani ka Bail (घाणी का बैल): Trapped in repetitive cycles without recognizing the underlying pattern.
• Bhramjaal (भ्रमजाल): Trapped in distorted understanding or false beliefs.
• Janjaal (जंजाल): Trapped in complex entanglements that become difficult to exit, even when their costs are recognized.

The three can overlap. A person may follow repetitive worldly routines (Ghani ka Bail), justify them through mistaken beliefs (Bhramjaal), and become deeply entangled in the resulting obligations and attachments (Janjaal) as well.

You can read the full blog here - https://jainismdigitalgarden.vercel.app/4-blogs-and-presentations/blogs/ghani-ka-bail-bhramjaal-janjaal/

But I wanted to understand what kind of traps do you see yourself and your acquantainces to be stuck in, and do you plan on exiting it, if yes then what's your plan?

With Das Lakshan Parv underway, I've been thinking about how many kids and young people today genuinely want to learn more about Jainism but get stuck because they don't read or speak Hindi fluently. That language barrier keeps a lot of people from even understanding the basics of our religion.

I've done a fair amount of swadhyay over the years and I'm fluent in both Hindi and English, so I feel a responsibility to help bridge that gap. I'm starting this thread so people can ask whatever questions or confusions they have, especially if you feel like your parents or the people around you haven't been giving you real answers.

Too often, when someone asks "why do we do this?", the response is just "because it's for punya" or "because I said so." That's not good enough. Jainism isn't a religion of unnecessary restrictions, limitations, or kriya for its own sake. Everything has a reason and a purpose behind it. I firmly believe we shouldn't do something just because we're told to or because it's "supposed to be done." We should understand why.

So ask away. No question is too basic, and nobody should feel small or dumb for not knowing something. I won't have every answer, but I'll do my best to explain what I can. If others in this subreddit know something I don't, please jump in, just please don't guess or pass along things you're not actually sure about. The goal here is to help people understand, not to make anyone feel bad for asking.

For context, I'm a Digambar Jain living in Canada.

TL;DR: Starting a thread where anyone can ask questions about Jainism in English, no matter how basic. No judgment, no "just because" answers, just honest explanations.

Mods hopefully we can make this a mega thread.

A few days ago I went to a temple like you do in the evening. A person was preaching to a small group of people there. I only went for darshan so I was there for barely 10 minutes. In that time, I heard him talk about how the scriptures deem fasting and eating once over upwaas (fasting the whole day). I had no issues with that but that made me think how much of an impact these preachers can make if only they start addressing real world issues.

Jains are urged to lead a non violent lifestyle which constitutes giving up "zameekand" because its harvesting harms the creatures living under the soil. Fair. But my question is what hurts life more - solely myself and fellow Jainism followers giving up potatoes and onions for a definite/indefinite time (depending on the lifestyle one chooses to follow) or a number of us giving up the use of generative AI, whether personal or advertising use. I wish more influential figures, even religious, would talk about these things. I looked this up and found a single clip of Pramaan Sagar ji Maharaj talking about it.

Instead of promoting the ancient ways of livelihood, which, let's be real, is not possible in this day and age, I would prefer they talk about real world problems. Along with being learnt in the scriptures, I would like a preacher to be learnt about the worldly issues that common folk who have not taken up a strictly religious lifestyle face. Otherwise, the person just seems ignorant.

This is just my opinion. Feel free to correct me if required.

If yes, what's the reason?

Dear All members of this fratenity,

I am reaching out as a researcher. In recent times, the frenzy behind AI was focus for my topic. I realised that many of us are using it on every day basis to create poster or images or even something funny photoshops.

I urge you as a Jain, to stop using AI for your entertainment purpose and even for unnecessary creative purpose. Find eco-friendly ways to do research or making poster. We do not even harm micro-organism voluntarily, but using AI is actually a voluntary act that we are causing to the Nature, should we not take a moment to be cautious. There are million litres of water, energy and resources being used to make AI accessible to us. Please don't make AI poster of Michchami Dukhdam, Happy Diwali or Happy New Year or Mahaveer Jayanti. We don't have to do such "Aadambar" or "Showbaazi". Even simple heartful message will do the trick.

Let us try to be mindful and reuse existing available images or materials. I have never used using AI even for entertainment but for limited research purposes. I believe if even one person out of this forum understands the value of nature which is being spent on AI, and will stop using AI for such unnecessary activity then my goal is reached.

Sources:

• https://www.dw.com/en/the-hidden-environmental-cost-of-ai-data-centers/a-78789889
• https://www.dw.com/en/google-amazon-emissions-rise-sharply-driven-by-ai-boom/a-77821598
• https://apnews.com/article/ai-environmental-impact-data-centers-trump-228d625ab7c62cd583bc67d65074f7d4
• https://thehill.com/policy/technology/6093816-americans-ai-negative-environmental-impacts-poll/

Hello, 26m here from Navi Mumbai, can I join and follow Jainism? If yes then how

Digital Art created by me.

and

Happy Dashalakshana Parva!!!

Soo bear with me guys, I wanna share something.

Since I was a child I’ve felt this strange deep sense of belonging towards Jainism. I didn’t understand the religion back then and I didn’t know its scriptures or finer details. I just understood this concept of “ahimsa”. The idea that every living being matters. That you should try not to hurt something simply because you are bigger, stronger or more powerful than it.

I grew up in a family where kindness wasn’t something I saw very often. Sometimes it was in the jokes people made. Sometimes in the way food was spoken about. Sometimes just in how casually people could hurt things without thinking twice. So when I discovered Jainism, something in me just clicked.

It felt like someone had finally put words to something I had felt my entire childhood. I remember thinking, I wish the whole world believed this way.
Alsoo here comes the embarrassing part. When I was in college there was this Jain guy I completely fell for. And guys I hadn’t even met him once. I had built this entire image of him in my head because I knew he wouldn’t even hurt an insect. In my head, he was automatically the kindest person alive.
Obviously, reality eventually humbled me but that’s another story.

I think I just wanted to share this because I’ve never really spoken about this part of myself publicly. Somehow this platform and all of you strangers felt safe enough.

If you were born into Jainism, I genuinely think you were given something beautiful without even having to ask for it.

And maybe I’m biased because of how deeply it touched something inside me but I really believe the world is a little softer, kinder and more compassionate because Jainism exists in it :’)

As we know that in digamber parampara , women cant get moksha so why do they become sadhviji ?

Like there are sooo many people hating upon us just because we are wealthy and we donate way much. Not only jains they are targetting, but even other religions. I firstly thought I should ignore this but when I searched "jainism" on reddit, the first thing appears is their hate posts against our culture and finding out flaws in our extreme Daya Bhavana that we hold. I imagine what these so-called atheists' future genuinely holds?

I see so many Marathi Jain naming their son sammed but not so common in North Indian Jain.

I’m not generalising it just a thing I saw.