Jaina Education Committee - Activity Summary Report Dec 2016

Jaina Education Committee - Activity Summary Report Dec 2016

We wish you and your family a Beautiful upcoming Holiday Season and a very Happy New Year full of Love, Laughter, Peace, Prosperity, Happiness, and higher Spirituality.

Be Compassionate

Be generous to Needy people and kind to mother Earth and be Compassionate to all Living Creatures. 

• ·         Please eliminate the usage of Styrofoam and plastic plates, bowls, cups etc.. and use biodegradable paper products to save the Earth and humanity.
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• ·         Please eliminate dairy (milk) products and silver leaf (varakh) from the diet and ritual ceremonies.  Be compassionate to five sensed animals. Violence to five sensed animals is considered the highest sin in Jainism.
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• ·         Please eliminate the usage of Silk, Wool, Peacock Feathers, milk and Ghee from the ritual ceremonies
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• ·         Please practice to live strictly Vegan life by eliminating the usage of any animal products from our life.

Shree Digamber Jain Association (SDJA), London UK consist of 300+ family members is the only organization in the world who has formally committed that

• ·         All SDJA catering will be exclusively JAIN and VEGAN starting from October 23, 2016 and
• ·         The SDJA will not promote any event (which includes catering) unless it is JAIN and VEGAN.

Hats off to the members of such as a vibrant organization (This organization practices Shri Kanjiswami Digamber tradition).

Jaina Education Committee Activity

We prepare, publish, and distribute Jain Päthashälä Education Material to support all Jain Centers of North America.  Following is the summary:

• ·         Published 8 Pathashala text books for Elementary(4), Middle School (2), High School (1) and College (1) age students
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• ·         Published Jain Academic Bowl Manual (JAB) covering entire spectrum of Jain philosophy, Conduct, History, Literature, and Stories.  It contains 400 pages
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• ·         Published 8 Reference books (1. Jainism, 2. World Religion, 3. Book of Compassion, 4. English Pratikraman, 5. Jain Sutras, 6. Jain Puja, 7. Being Jain in College, and 8. Ashtapad Tirth).
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• ·         We have about 3500 students (from elementary age to College age) attending Päthashäläs.
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• ·         We have about 250 to 300 Pathashala teachers and other volunteers

To view short summary of all Pathashala books and to download pdf files of all Jaina Education Books, click the following link:

http://www.jainlibrary.org/elib_master/jaina_edu/jaina_edu_book/$JES000_Pathshala_Books_Summary_000011_data.pdf

We support YJA and YJP convention activities by providing Educational Material free of charge to our youths and young Jain professionals attending convention.

We support and manage Jain Academic Bowl (JAB) Youth competition activities during JAINA and YJA conventions.

We support Jain summer school (ISSJS) program and Jain scholars and academicians by providing them Jain educational material free of charge.

The success of Jaina Education Päthashälä Books, eLibrary, and JAB activities are well known to all of you.

Jain eLibrary Website

Education committee also supports and totally manages Jain eLibrary website to provide reference literature to the Päthashälä teachers, students, adult Swädhyäy groups, and Jain academicians and scholars around the world.

• ·         eLibrary contains 13,000 Books, 5000 Articles, 1000 Audio files (About 3.0 million pages of Jain literature)
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• ·         eLibrary contains literature of all sects: Swetambar, Digambar, Sthanakvasi, Terapanthi, Shrimad Rajchandra, Kanjiswami, and Dada Bhagwan
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• ·         eLibrary adds 20,000 pages of literature every month
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• ·         eLibrary has 46,500 registered users from 120 different countries.
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• ·         Users have download 572,000 books and articles in 7 years. 
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• ·         1.8 million visitors have visited the website in 7 years

Request for your Financial Support

All members of the Jaina Education Committee, eLibrary project, and JAB committee are volunteers.  However our Pathshala book design, layout activity, Website expenses, book deficit etc,  and eLibrary scanning activity expenses add up to about $25,000 per year.  In addition, we will be spending $10,000 to upgrade our website.

How to Contribute

You may contribute in US Dollars or Indian Rupees to Jaina Education and eLibrary projects. You can contribute by Check (Cheque), via Bank to Bank transfer, via credit card, and via Paypal.

Your contribution in US dollars and Indian Rupees are tax deductible in USA and India respectively.

For Contribution, please use the following link located in the Jain eLibrary website (The link contains 4 options. Please use appropriate option):

http://www.jainelibrary.org/donation1.php

You may also contribute by check (US dollars):

Please write a check to JAINA Education and mail it at the following address. 

Jaina Education Committee
509 Carriage Woods Circle
Raleigh, NC 27607 USA
+1-919-859-4994   jainaedu@gmail.com

Do not mail your contribution directly to the JAINA Headquarters.  The committee needs to keep proper record before it gets deposited.

We Thank Each and Every One of You for Supporting Jaina Education Committee.

With Warm Regards

__________________________________
Pravin and Arti Shah and
Members of JAINA Education, Jain eLibrary, and JAB Committees
919 859 4994 - www.jainelibrary.org

16 Million People in The United States are Now Vegan or Vegetarian!

Thanks-Giving Meal Prayer

Start the Thanks-Giving Meal with the seven contemplations, or with whatever traditional grace or prayer you prefer to use to express our gratitude.

Honor the Food

1.    This food is the gift of the whole universe: the earth, the sky, numerous living beings and much hard, loving work.

2.    May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive it.

3.    May we recognize and transform our unwholesome mental formations, especially our greed, and learn to eat with moderation.

4.    May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that we reduce the suffering of living beings, preserve our planet, and reverse the process of global warming.

5.    May we ask for forgiveness from all living beings that we may have harmed, intentionally or unintentionally.  May peace and compassion grow in ourselves and extend to all around us.

6.    May we pray that all the people everywhere in the world will avoid inflicting harm on animals and fellow human beings and practice nonviolence and compassion.

7.    We accept this food so that we may nurture our sisterhood and brotherhood, strengthen our community, and nourish our ideal of serving all living beings.

16 Million People in The United States are Now Vegan or Vegetarian!

http://vbetweenthelines.com/index.php/2016/01/20/16-million-people-in-the-us-are-now-vegan-or-vegetarian-2/

In 2009, only 1.0% of the U.S. population (3.20 million people) reported as vegetarian or vegan. Now in 2016, 5% (16 million) people is vegetarian and half of those (8 million) people are completely vegan.

The rates have skyrocketed over the last five years and studies show the rates are climbing.

https://news.therawfoodworld.com/16-million-people-us-now-vegan-vegetarian/

The Reason Why the U.S. is Going Vegan or Vegetarian

To think that 16 million people in this country eat absolutely no animal products is amazing, considering the degree to which meat and dairy has an impact on most of American culture.

The reason seems to involve a mix of various factors, with the largest impact coming from how much we have learned about commercial farming and animal treatment over the last five years.

·      42% of those who do not eat animal products say that they went vegan after they saw an educational film.

·         69% percent said they chose to eat a vegan diet to support the ethical treatment of animals.

·      45% say they transitioned into veganism over time and 52% of all Vegan people say they have been vegan for less than 10 years.

Which Other Factors are Involved in the Vegan or Vegetarian Transition?

Today 79% of total vegans and 59% of total vegetarians are woman. It seems like men have a harder time giving up animal and dairy products than women

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/01/vegan-woman-lifestyle_n_5063565.html

The meat consumption in USA actually dropped by 12.2% since 2007.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-stevens/predicting-a-vegan-america_b_4905691.html

According to Google, people are searching for the keyword “vegan” increasingly more.  In 2007, there were only 1600 results for “vegan” searches, but in 2014 this number increased to over 24,000.

Restaurants are also changing by either offering a vegan or vegetarian entree and many new exclusive vegan restaurants are open now that weren’t around five years ago.

Supermarkets now cater to vegans and offer more vegan or vegetarian products and the online raw vegan food industry has been thriving the last five years and only continues to grow. In fact, it’s now estimated that by 2050, America may be a “vegan country”, at least by a large percentage!

Celebrities also make up a significant portion of those who are vegan or vegetarian.  Athletes, talk show hosts, millionaires, and even political figures are now turning to a veggie-based diet or a completely vegan diet.  There are 32 verified celebrities who are vegan and their names are as follows:

1. Ellen Page, 2. Jessica Chastain, 3. James Cromwell, 4. Alicia Silverstone, 5. Ariana Grande, 6. Ellen DeGeneres, 7. Joaquin Phoenix, 8. Miley Cyrus, 9. Liam Hemsworth, 10. Woody Harrelson, 11. Mayim Bialik, 12. Joan Jett, 13. Bellamy Young, 14. Casey Affleck, 15. Daniella Monet, 16. Moby, 17. Dawn Richard, 18. Morrissey, 19. Russell Simmons, 20. Sia, 21. Stevie Wonder, 22. Pamela Anderson, 23. RZA, 24. Peter Dinklage, 25. James Cameron, 26. Kate Mara, 27. Rooney Mara, 28. Al Gore, 29. Evanna Lynch, 30. Wacka Flocka Flame, 31. Travis Barker, 32. Mya,

A healthy vegan, vegetarian, or a plant-based diet is a smart and sustainable way to live that can potentially decrease your ecological footprint and greatly improve the health of our nation.

Benefits of a Healthy Vegan Diet

Health:

§  Highly processed and refined foods can cause inflammation in your body. Animal products tend to be acidic in nature, also being a cause inflammation. Eating a plant-based diet with plenty of organic vegetables and fruits can provide your body with essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that are easily digestible, keeping you healthy and energized.

Environment:

§  The planet is our home we must take care of it. Reducing your animal product intake can reduce the carbon footprint. If we choose to eat local product, it is the best way to reduce it even more.

Economy:

§  If you shop local, organic and seasonal, you can take the control back and prevent corporations from dictating your life and you will be supporting local farmers and businesses.

Compassion:

§  Believe it or not, but as you start eating plant-based, your compassion can increase. You can naturally start caring more about animals, nature and other people around you.

No longer is veganism the diet for hippies and health nuts; as per statistics, it’s now just a smart way to live a healthy life, help to decrease our ecological footprint, and enhance our compassionate nature towards all living beings in the universe.

Pravin K Shah

JAINA Education Committee

Jain eLibrary Project

jainaedu@gmail.com

Nov 14, 2016

FSSAI of India bans Silver Leaf (Chandi ka warq) of Animal Origin in Food Items

FSSAI bans Silver Leaf (Chandi ka Varakh) of Animal Origin

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned the use of any material of animal origin in silver leaf (chandi ka warq/Varakh), commonly used in confectioneries (sweet meat) and sweets like barfi for decoration and also in paan and packaged supari.

This news is reported by the Times of India-Aug 2, 2016 and I have provided some links of actual news from various newspapers at the end of the e-mail.

The FSSAI authority of India has banned this item because in the manufacturing of silver leaf (Varakh), cow’s or buffalo’s intestine (ox-gut) is used which is obtained from the slaughterhouse.  The intestine (ox-gut) is smeared with blood and mucus when is pulled out from the slaughtered animal by the butcher and sold as is to the Silver Leaf (Varakh) manufacturers.  The small thin strips of silver placed between layers of intestines and continuously hammered for up-to 8 hours a day for few days until the desired result of the glittering foil is obtained.  

The FSSAI official said that this manufacturing process is offensive and unhygienic posing potential risk to consumers.  Moreover, such silver sheets do not carry any green dot or maroon dot.  Hence, consumers fail to differentiate between a vegetarian and non-vegetarian product.

There were also concerns that the silver leaf (Varakh) contained heavy metal traces such as nickel, lead, chromium and cadmium - which are harmful for health.

These are the main reasons the FSSAI authority of India has banned the Silver Leaf (Chandi ka warq or varakh) on the food product.

Veggie Silver Leaf (Varakh)

Recently several companies have advertised that they produce the Veggie Varakh without using cows’ intestine.  They use the machine for hammering and patented synthetic material to replace the leather (cow’s intestine) which can take intense hammering of the machine for several days.  This process is very costly and hence in the country like India, one can easily obtain false certification and sell the regular non-vegetarian Varakh as cheap veggie Varakh.  Also the function of Varakh is to decorate the food/sweets only.  It does not add any nutritional value to it.  The best alternative is to avoid Varakh on the food.

Where to Report/Complain about Violators

FSSAI encourages to post complains/comments about food safety issue related to adulteration, contamination, poor quality, improper packing, insufficient information on label, misleading advertisements, incomplete information about food, clarification from food operator on license, etc " by going to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) website http://www.fssai.gov.in/ or click the link http://www.fssai.gov.in/Feedback.aspx  and Fill in online the “Consumer's Complaints / Suggestions / Queries Form”

The FSSAI will be every much happy to help you as well guide you.  Please insert your e-mail and identify yourself to receive a suitable reply.

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India is the World’s Largest Beef Exporter

CNN money news of August 5, 2016 published that India is the world's largest beef exporter.  The article indicates that the large number of animals are needed to keep India's huge domestic dairy industry going.  Because of the existence of this huge dairy industry, there are plenty of grown-up cows and buffaloes are available to slaughter for beef. The dairy cows and buffaloes are significantly cheaper than the animals which are raised for beef only, because the dairy animals produce income during their growth period of first 5 years. Hence 5-year-old dairy cow and buffalo is much cheaper than non-dairy cow or buffalo raised for beef only.

In other words, Jains and vegetarian Hindus who consume milk and other dairy products directly support the beef industry because every milk producing Cows and Buffaloes are slaughtered after about 5 years of age to support beef export industry while their life expectancy is about 20 years.  I have also compiled the CNN’s article at this link for easy review http://www.jainelibrary.org/$india_beef_export

Baby Calf’s Milk is Stolen from Mother Cow by Humans

Any drop of milk that we use or consume is stolen (taken without the permission) from mother cow or buffalo that was meant for her baby.  Nature has not made cows or buffaloes to produce more milk than the need of their babies unless we feed them hormones and genetically modify their genes. With the continuous use of hormones, we have forced the bodies of the mother cows and buffaloes to produce three to four times more milk than their natural need of their babies.  Because of this reason, cows and buffaloes body breaks-down in five years and milk production yield drops significantly.  At this time, we send them to slaughter-house.

Summary

We Jains and vegetarian Hindus use Silver Leaf (Varakh) and milk in Tirthankara’s/God's Puja, other religious rituals, and almost all sweets served in Jain functions.  Such items are very Himsak (Violent).  It is obtained by torturing and indirectly or directly killing Cows or Buffaloes or other five sensed animals.

In today’s environment, the production of milk (other dairy products), wool, silk, and pearl are as Himsak (violent) as the production of meat and silver leaf.  We Jains and vegetarian Hindus should banned all such items in our religious rituals and religious functions.

We have banned such items in our JAINA Pathashala Educational books of North America (USA and Canada). More than 3000 students are in Pathashalas of North America.

“We must Practice our Religion based the Time, Place, and Environment we live in” and “We must accept the truth from whatever source it comes.”  This is the essence of Lord Mahavir’s preaching.

The Book of Compassion

In the year 2000, Pujya Paramodaben Chitrabhanuji and I (Pravin K Shah) have compiled several such types of articles in English in a book named “The Book of Compassion”.  Later the book was translated in Gujarati and Hindi languages.  You can download the soft copy of any of these books from the following links of the Jain eLibrary website (www.jainelibrary.org).

Sr Num 000221 - JES 921 Book of Compassion Reverence for All Life

Sr Num 000223 - JES 922 કરૂણાનો સ્રોત આચરમાં અહિંસા

Sr Num 000225 - JES 923 करूणा में स्रोत_आचरण में अहिंसा

List of Articles compiled in “The Book of Compassion”

01 - My Visit to A Dairy Farm

02 -Dairy Cows - Life, Usage, and Sufferings

03 - Recycling of Slaughterhouses Waste

04 - Milk – Its Impact on Health, Cruelty, and Pollution

05 - Is Nothing Sacred? - Cruelty towards India’s Holy Animals

06 - Vegetarianism - A Compassionate Approach to Life

07 - Varakh (Silver Foil or Leaf)

08 - Facts about Eggs

09 - Story of Silk

10 - Story of Pearls

11 - The Myth about Milk

12 - Alternatives to Animal Abuse

·         Food Alternatives:

·         Clothing Alternatives:

·         Household Goods Alternatives:

·         Medicines, Drugs, Vitamins Alternatives:

·         Sports, Entertainment Alternatives:

·         Animal Based Additives to Avoid

13 - What Our Readers say about – “My Visit to A Dairy Farm” article

Pravin K Shah
Jaina Education Committee
Jain eLibrary in-charge
E-mail – jainaedu@gmail.com
Aug 6, 2016

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Actual News of various Newspaper Links

FSSAI bans silver leaf of animal origin in food items

Times of India-Aug 2, 2016

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned the use of any material of animal origin in silver leaf (chandi ka warq), ...

Food regulator bans use of animal parts in manufacturing silver leaf

Hindustan Times-Jul 19, 2016

Food regulator bans use of animal parts in manufacturing silver leaf ... leaf cannot be manufactured using any animal material of animal origin ...

Silver leaf made from animal parts banned

Times of India-Jul 21, 2016

Following the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) notification, the ... Fine silver foil or silver leaf, is used to decorate sweets and ... any animal material of animal origin at any stage of manufacturing process.

FSSAI bans on silver leaf from animals parts

The Siasat Daily-Jul 20, 2016

FSSAI bans on silver leaf from animal parts ... New Delhi: The food regulator of India, FSSAI has banned the use of silver foil with ... silver leaf cannot be manufactured using any animal material of animal origin at any stage.