Singapore Jain Religious Society [SJRS] requested Institute of Jainology to assign Harshad Nandlal Sanghrajka to lead the Paryushan Parvas in Singapore. The Board agreed and plans were put in to place. Since there was a gap of one month between the Sthanakvasi and Murtipujak Paryushan, SJRS made arrangements with locations in Malaysia to organise svadhyayas there.
Blessings were sought from Pujyashree Atmanandji Sahebji by telephone before the trip commenced.
The theme for the Paryushan was declared as SHRADDHA~ faith ~ with the intention of sthirikaran ~ bringing the Jain community back to its fold from the various mystical and magical attractions.
In the Sthanakvasi Paryushan, morning sessions were held for the first time in their history and based on Kalpa Sutra, the life of Bhagvan Mahavir was described from the life of Nayasar to the ultimate birth as Tirthankara and eventual moksha. In the evenings, after Pratikraman, the sessions covered 12 vows of laity [Shravak na 12 vrat]. A special session was organised on the subject: Journey of the Soul: DEATH. Also historical for SJRS was the daily pratikraman for the males ending in a full house of men on the last day of Samvatsari.
During the Murtipujak Paryushan, the morning sessions discussed the meanings of the popular PUNYA PRAKASH nu STAVAN ~ a hymn in 10 parts explaining the various religious activities which would lead the soul towards moksha. In the evenings, the 12 Bhavanas were discussed with the popular stanzas for each bhavana.
On Saturday, 22nd September, 2012 a special session was held for representatives of other faiths. Leaders from the Inter Religious Organisations [IRO], Trainees from the Asian Civilisation Museum and other faith leaders attended a presentation on Introduction to Jainism. There were nearly 70 people and an open session of Q and A lasted nearly one hour after the presentation. Jain refreshments were served to end the session.
The intermediate period was spent as follow:
Malacca:
Session 1 ~ 25th August: UNITY
Session 2 ~ 26th August: MEDITATION
Penang:
Session 1 ~ 1st September: Role of Religion in Society
Session 2 ~ 2nd September: Journey of the Soul: DEATH
Ipoh:
From 3rd September to 10th September: Course on Atma Siddhi Shastra
Attendance at all sessions was relatively good compared to the total Jain population in each location. The Sanghs in each location expressed satisfaction that the attendance was better than anticipated and that the general feedback from those who attended was very good.
Photo Gallery
Feedback on the Tour
The Institute’s Chairman had requested a feedback from the centres visited by Dr Sanghrajka. The responses received are appended below:
From Singapore:
Shri Nemubhai Chandaria Chair Institute of Jainology (IOJ) Jai Jinendra Congratulations on your taking over as Chair of the IOJ. Our Sthanakvasi Paryushan 2012 has indeed ended successfully.
Shri Dr Harshadbhai Sanghrajka was very well received with his unique style of self-study Svadhayay, with maximum interactions. The presentation slides used were simple and well aided/supplemented his clear and concise delivery.
We had over 100 members attendance at every session, daily morning and evening Svadhayay; and also good attendance at the additional sessions on weekends for youth & younger children. There were many question and answermoments and Shri Harshadbhai did very well. He was ever ready to address any concerns or doubts , and infact encouraged active "dialogue" with all attendees. Shri Harshadbhai also shared with us the good work that IOJ isinvolved with. It has been our pleasure to host Shri Harshadbhai and Smt Urmilaben. We enjoyed this wonderful experience and look forward to continue in September with the Deravasi Paryushan with them. On behalf of the Sangh and All members of Singapore Jain Religious Society , we thank yourselves for facilitating Shri Harshadbhai to lead us for Paryushans in 2012; and also take this opportunity to extend Michammi Dukuddam. Jai Jinendra Deepak Charadva President Singapore Jain Religious Society
From Ipoh:
Dear Respected Shri Harshadbhai,
Jai Jinendra !!!
Hope you had a safe trip back to Singapore. On behalf of our family and the Ipoh Jain Sangh, we thank you, The Singapore Jain Religious Society and The Institute of Jainology for giving us the unique & golden opportunity to organise the swadhaya (lecture sessions) of the auspicious sashtra, AtmaSiddhi.
The lecture session was indeed an enlightening experience for all those who attended. Your detailed explanation in simple Gujarati / English was easy for all to understand. You managed to simplified the spiritual depth of AtmaSiddhi so that we all were not only able to get a glimpse of Shrimad Rajchandraji's knowledge but were all in awe of his pure spirituality. For this unique experience we are indebted & grateful to you all.
Your patience in handling all our question & curiosities (many were immatured, silly & unrelated) reflected your deep knowledge & understanding of the various religious orders. Your comparative explanations were indeed much appreciated and managed to clear many prevailing misconceptions & practices that are presently rooted in our community & society. We once again thank you for this enlightenment. Our family thank you & Smt Urmilaben for conveying the unique opportunity of accepting our simple & humble hospitality. Your simple & firm life style gave us the opportunity to observe & understand first hand how a true shravak's charitra & acharan should be. We regret that we were unable to take better care & offer better hospitalities to you in view of your simplicity & very limited needs. With folded hands, we seek your forgiveness for any shortcomings & inconveniences that you may have experienced during your stay in Ipoh - Michhami Dukkaddam !!
We look forward to hosting you once again and experience a dip in your ocean of knowledge. Convey our respects & regards to Smt. Urmilaben. Jai Jinendra !!! Bharat Kumar & Tarulata Jasani
From Penang:
:
From: Gathani, Sunil Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2012 10:47 PM To: Nemu Chandaria Subject: RE: LECTURES AT PENANG FEED BACK REQUEST Shri Nemubhai, The lectures by Shri Harshadbhai were very well received and appreciated by our community. The depth and appreciation of Jainism he conveys through his lectures was certainly inspirational. We will email you the links to the photos very soon. The Address of our Association : Gujarati Seva Samaj, Pulau Pinang, 41 Green Hall, 10200, Georgetown, Penang.