About Swadhyaya Potluck:

- Why should we do swadhyaya potluck?

o Learning values

o Socializing:

 Helpful in binding jains, which helps keep the

momentum in religion.

 Positive motivation to do good in religion.

 Otherwise in other worldly groups, there is

negative peer pressure

Case study:

1. Uttar Pradesh vs Rajasthaan

Culture is retained in Rajasthan, bundelkhand, and southindia.

While in Uttar pradesh, Bihaar, Bangaladesh- the culture is not that
great. Why?

Punjab- it is also very much waned out.

2. Changes in the american born Jains in bay area, who studied in

Pathshala after the temple got built, and who did not.

Conclusion:

Therefore, in USA it is important for Jains to stay together- in order to

retain their religious values.

- Religious activities are in general performed with Jains,

- Social get together and fun activites, in general, should be
performed with Jains
===== = =

Bhakti, Pooja:

Agenda:

Group Activity:

Make groups and share how do you do pooja

- why do we go to temple?
- Why do we do pooja/bhakti?

- what do you do when you go to temple

o starting from home

o how to enter the temple

o what do you think of God

o how do you feel when you leave the home

o what do you fel when do the argha to bhagwaan

 8 argha

Theory:

भक्ति = अरहन्त आदि के गुणो मे अनुराग भक्ति है ।

पूजा = अरहन्त आदि के गुणो मे अनुराग की अभिव्यक्ति पज
ू ा है ।
पज
ू ा के दो प्रकार हैं - द्रव्य पज
ू ा, भाव पज
ू ा
1. द्रव्य पज
ू ा =
- अष्ट द्रव्य पूजा
- अभिषेक करना
 - भजन
- नत्ृ य
- परिक्रमा दे ना
- भगवान के दर्शन करना
- जिनमन्दिर का निर्माण करना-कराना
- नमस्कार करना
2. भाव पूजा =
a. मन से गण
ु ों का स्मरण, और अनरु ाग करना

Why we would have anurag to Panch Parmeshthi?

- Mangal:
o Mangal for us (introspection)

o Mangal for others, who worshipped them

- lokottam

- Sharan

Discussion:
If we did not have bhagwaan, then what had we have lost?

Discussion:
Why is God important to us?

How to bring anurag in Panch Parmeshthi?

By learning about them. By reading the scriptures narrating their stories
of previous births and how they achieved Moksha. “ अर्सन्त भग्वान ने जो
चार प्रकार के सक्
ु त बतलाये हैं, उनमे परु ाण प्रथम सक्
ु त है . भगवान मे इन
परु ाणो से ही सन
ु ने क क्रम बतलाया है ।“

How does Bhakti help?

- Syadwaad Manjari: “Hum jiskaa dhyaan karte hain, hum vaise hee ho
jaate hain.”
 - Tatvaarth sutra mangalacharan: Moksha maargasya netaram ..
- Dhawala ji reference, Sarvaarth sidhhi reference
Discussion:
What kind of karma we will bind if we love and think of devil,
and what we will bind if we love and think of God?

Bhakti related activities for Sadhu’s:

10 Bhakti, Vadana, Stuti, Kayotsarg, some part of samayik(Padastha,
roopastha, roopateet dhyaan)

Pooja/darshan ki kasauti:

- kyaa panch parmeshthi me anuraag aata hai?

Whom should we worship?

- Shanti Path pradarshan

Devdarshan:

o Starting from home

 Bhakti of Chaityalya (Temple)

o Entering temple

o Do the vandana

 Introspection: Consider bhagwaan as an idol or

bhagvaan with anant chatushtaya?

 Introspection: Consider yourself as body, or consider as

soul with karma and attachments?

o Dravya Poojan

o Parikrama
 o Panchang, Aqshtaang Namaskaar

o Coming back

Why do we do Pooja?

o परलौकिक प्रयोजन:
 Short Answer: Moksha ki sidhhi me sahayak hain

 Detailed Answer:

 Past: To wash away the sins we did in past, and do

all the day regularly as a householder.

 Present: achieve Shubha bhav, and Pooja is helpful

in veetaraagata. पज
ू ा चित्त को निर्मल कर दे ती है

 Future: keep the momentum up of shubha bhaav-

so there will be less ashubha bhaav in future.

 Also:

 Greatly helpful in achieving Samyakdarshan

 Washes all 4 ghatiya karma, and paap karma from

Aghati karma.

o लौकिक प्रयोजन

 This is definitely not intended while doing Pooja, but it is

achieved similar to how a farmer gets भस ू ा while sowing
greains.

Case study:

There are two people who are doing pooja in same way. The only
difference is,
 - one has the purpose(prayojan) of become Sidhha and adopt
the path to become Sidhaa, and leave the wrong things he does
which hinders him in adopting the right path.

- The other one is doing with a hazy idea of Moksha and

mokshamarga.

What kind of results both have – both spiritually and worldy?

Ashta Dravya pooja

 Om Jai Jai Namostu

 Namokara Mantra

 Panch Parmeshthi

o Their qualities

 Arihant

 Sidhaa

 Acharya

 Upadhyaa

 Sadhu

 Namokar Mandtra ki mahima

 Udak chandan tandul

 24 tirthanker svasti

 64 ridhhii

 Dev- shanstra guru poojan

 8 Argha- purpose from shanti patha pradarshan

 Poojan- Mahaveer swami

  Samuchaya mahargha

 3 loka

 Shanti Path

 Loka kalyaan ki bhavana

 Visarjan

There are three elements to Pooja: (Reference: Gyananand sravakachara,

Brahamchari Rayamall Ji)

1. Prarthana
2. Alochna (also garhaa)
3. Guna gaan

- meaning of Mahavir swami jayamaala, and pooja in general.

Back up:

How does it help:

1. Prarthana:
o It will help you wash away your sins, and help you proceed towards
Shudha Bhaav.
o It helps you express your emotions, which helps alleviating
Alochna, and gunagana.

2. Alochana:
o It would discourage you to repeat the sin. This is how it takes one
towards veetragta. (catapult analogy)

3. Guna Gaan:
o It is something which takes you close to God, and away from the
world. And clears the bad karmas away which comes in between
you and God.
o It will encourage you to become like God.
o When you have a goal, its always goal in your mind. Similary when
you want to attain inifinite knowledge, you will always have God in
 mind. When you look at god, you feel bliss, when you look at the
world you feel detachments, and fear.
o It will wipe away your worldly role models.
o When a runner starts running, he has his eyes set to the goal.
Similarly, a Sadhak needs to set his eyes on Sidhha bhagwaan to
become like him.
o Veetragta se raag jorrta hai, Raagta se raag torrta hai.
o thrashes 4 ghatiya karma, which helps in progressing in spiritual
path further.

Poojan helps wash all papa karma including ghatiya karma. And increases right
belief(Reference: Sarvartha Sidhhii).

Question: One side you say I should become Veetraagi, and other side you ask
me to have have raaga with God. Why?
Answer: You should become veetragi, therefore you should have raaga towards
veetraagta. Since God is veetraagi, therefore having raaga with God will help
you attain veetragta.