{"id":7670,"date":"2006-05-21T13:09:40","date_gmt":"2006-05-21T17:09:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wtb.org\/?p=7670"},"modified":"2018-12-27T19:31:07","modified_gmt":"2018-12-27T23:31:07","slug":"jainism-and-sikhism-religions-and-cultures-of-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/?p=7670","title":{"rendered":"Jainism and Sikhism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jainism\u2014Manda Turakhia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manda came to the United States after her marriage in India. She is the proud mother of two children: a daughter who is married and living in California, and a son who resides in Syracuse. Manda volunteers at the American Red Cross and holds a black belt in karate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Manda began to tell us about Jainism, she explained that\nit is more a philosophy than a religion. Jainism is native to the western Indian\nprovince of Gujarat. As in all of India, the dominant languages in Gujarat are\nHindi, English, and the local language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jainism has a 2600-year history, with nonviolence as its\nfirst principle. Mahavir Swami taught that each life includes both bad and\ngood, and that the bad must be constantly repaid with good throughout a series\nof reincarnations. Nonviolence must be both physical and mental; even the\nthought of violence must be controlled from the inner heart. Nonviolence leads\nmembers to avoid serving in the military or pursuing medical careers that\nrequire dissection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jainism\u2019s second principle is multiple views, that is, being\nable to see the glass as both half empty and half full. Its third principle states\nthat no material goods should be collected. The gurus, who are both monks and\nteachers, give up their personal lives. They shave their heads or even pluck\nout their hair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jainism has two sects: Swetamber, whose adherents wear white\nclothes and carry a wooden vessel for receiving food, and Digamber, whose\nadherents wear no clothes and are protected only by the directions of north,\nsouth, east, west, up and down. Digambers lead very simple but difficult lives,\nremoved from the cities and receiving food alms in their hands (only as much at\na time as their cupped hands can hold, trying not to let any food drop on the\nfloor).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jains try to achieve victory\u2014over the mind, sight, hearing\nand heart\u2014and they greet others with a phrase expressing a wish that they too\nwill achieve this victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the monsoon festival that extends from mid-June through\nmid-September, Jains ask for forgiveness, with parting words \u201cMichhami Dukkadam\u201d\nthat mean, \u201cIn whatever way\u2014mind, word, or body\u2014I made you unhappy, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d\nDuring this monsoon season, traditional believers do not eat leafy green\nvegetables because to do so would destroy the homes of bugs and worms. This tradition\nis difficult to follow in the US because alternate foods available in India cannot\nalways be obtained here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jains traditionally do not eat what grows underground\u2014potatoes,\ncarrots, onions, ginger, garlic\u2014because harvesting the food would kill the\nplant. Nor do they eat meat, poultry, seafood or eggs, again for reasons of nonviolence\ntoward animals. Food restrictions today are more lenient, but Jains still\nprimarily eat legumes, bread, fruits and dairy products, which constitute a\nbalanced diet. The spice mixture garum masala (literally, hot spices) is widely\nused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jains do not eat after sunset. Families traditionally sat on\nthe floor, and bugs could get into the food and be accidentally eaten and thus\nkilled. To avoid this in the days prior to electric lighting, food was eaten\nonly when daylight allowed bugs to be noticed and removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jains practice a monthly fast to cleanse the body. The fast\nbegins at sundown and continues through the next day until after sunup of the\nthird day. The fast is broken with a tortilla-type crispy bread (which is delicious\u2014our\nspeakers provided some on our refreshment table), a specially prepared soup,\nmung beans, and lentils.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manda showed us a square of woolen cloth, unadorned, which is\nused as a prayer mat. A small stand is placed on the mat to hold the sacred\nbook, which should never be put on the ground or beneath one\u2019s feet. Manda\nshowed us two mala, or strings of prayer beads: her own mala, a circle of 108\nbeads in a repeating pattern of five white and four colored beads; and another\nmala comprising only silver beads. (Manda said that sandalwood beads can also be\nused.) Manda wore a red yarn bracelet, given to her by a guru to protect her from\nbad things. She also had a paper folder containing enchanted powder that a guru\nwill sprinkle on a petitioner\u2019s head to impart good thinking and behavior. Jain\nwomen are given great respect and are not segregated in temple services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jains repeat nine mantras as they bow to their parents and\nteachers. While praying, they cover their mouth with a piece of cloth to avoid spreading\ngerms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manda held up several illustrated holy books that we could\nlook at after the talks. She had several statues of Mahavir Swami, who is\nworshipped as a great teacher. After Mahavir was conceived in his 27th and\nfinal life, his pregnant mother dreamed 14 dreams and sent for astrologers to\ndiscover what the dreams meant. The astrologers agreed that the child would\nbecome a powerful man. As an adult, Mahavir chose to become a monk, but his\nparents, who were a king and a queen, required him to marry. After their deaths,\nhe again wanted to become a monk but was commanded by his brother to wait a\nyear. Afterwards he took diksha, <\/em>an initiation\nrite that involves giving up worldly life. During this time, as he was\nmeditating, he was approached by a cattleman with a request to watch his herd.\nNot hearing the request, Mahavir ignored the cattle, which wandered off. When\nthe cattleman returned and found Mahavir still meditating and no cattle, he\ndestroyed Mahavir\u2019s hearing with rods poked into his ears. Thus Mahavir repaid\nan offense he had committed against a musician in an earlier life, canceling\nsome bad karma. When a person has perfected his life, he or she achieves moksha,\nor union with God, the highest level, relieving him or her of the cycle of\nrebirth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manda displayed photos of some of the 24 temples dedicated to\nMahavir Swami. All the temples are built of pure marble and located on\nmountaintops, because one must work hard or struggle to achieve something good.\nThe climb to the temple is done on foot. Jain temples are open to all people. When\nentering a temple, only freshly cleaned clothes may be worn; no leather or silk\nclothing is permitted because of the principle of nonviolence, but wool is\nappropriate because it regrows and because harvesting the wool does not injure the\nsheep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manda said that the tradition of arranged marriages is\ndeclining. When today\u2019s young people bring home an intended, the families visit\nback and forth to determine the acceptability of the match and finally issue\npermission. Weddings are performed in the presence of fire, water and air. The bride\nis escorted to the groom by her mother\u2019s brother (not by her father as in the US).\nThe couple circles a fire four times, reciting their promises to each other.\nWedding rings are not part of the culture, but Jain women in the US wear them\nto ward off unwanted attention. Women wear the bindi, or dot, between their\neyebrows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our local Jain community consists of only 10 to 12 families that\nmeet monthly in members\u2019 homes. However, nationwide numbers are substantial. In\nthe early 1990s, about 11,000 people attended a Jain convention in Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sikhism\u2014Smita Rane<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our second speaker, Smita Rane, came to the United States from India in 1998. Smita represented the Sikhs in the absence of Indu Chadra, who was unable to attend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smita is an employee of Syracuse University working at the\nCollege of Arts and Sciences Visitor Center and a part-time graduate student in\ncommunication and rhetoric studies. She loves meeting people and enjoys sharing\nher culture and learning about other cultures. She stopped at an Indian store before\ntoday\u2019s meeting and brought Indian snacks to add to our refreshment table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In India, Smita, like Manda, grew up in a diverse community of Jains, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians as well as Hindus. She considers this a big advantage, in that she learned multiple languages and developed an understanding of other religions. She feels fortunate to be a WTB Council member. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sikhism, the world\u2019s fifth-largest religion, was founded by\nGuru Nanak Dev Ji, who lived from 1469 to 1539. He preached universal equality\n(and against the social tyranny of the caste system), and he called for devotion\nto the one God, the Creator. Sikhism originated in the northwest Indian state\nof Punjab and in the bordering areas of Pakistan. The people speak Punjabi or\nHindi, sometimes both; some also speak English. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smita showed many slides, including two symbols of Sikhism.\nThe first symbol was an Arabic phrase: Ik Onkar, or God is One. The second was\nthe Sikh Khanda, the official symbol of Sikhism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The famous Golden Temple in Amritsar is surrounded by water.\nMost gurudwaras (Sikh places of worship) have a small pool to cleanse the feet\nfrom the filth of the streets. Both men and women are required to cover their\nheads. Believers worship the ten gurus of Sikhism. The Sikh holy book, Guru\nGranth Sahib, is a compilation of the teachings of these gurus. In all\ngurudwaras, a free vegetarian meal, called a langar, cooked by the local\ncommunity, is provided to all visitors. All people are welcomed in the\ngurudwaras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smita showed slides of Sikh members. Men and boys wear a turban\nat all times, and the hair on their head and face is never cut, even from\nbirth. Due to various circumstances, some men may cut their hair, shave their\nbeard, or not wear a turban; this is not a sign that they fail to follow the\nfaith. Men carry five symbols of their faith: their uncut hair, a comb for\ncleanliness of their hair, a steel bracelet signifying discipline and\nresponsibility, cotton underwear signifying a commitment to modesty and\nprocreation, and a small knife to show that they will defend their faith and\ntheir family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main occupation of Sikhs is farming. They grow 70 percent\nof India\u2019s corn, wheat, mustard and rice. Sikh immigrants to the United States\nhave contributed to the California farm economy or become entrepreneurs or\nprofessionals. Both Canada and the US have large Sikh communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sikhs believe strongly in the equality of women. There is\nnothing in Sikh teachings that suggests a lower position for women. During\nreligious services, however, men and women sit on opposite sides of the temple.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smita wore a traditional Punjabi dress consisting of a\nlong-sleeved tunic, with elaborate embroidery around the neckline, and matching\npants; she declared this to be very simple attire compared with a Sikh woman\u2019s\ndress. She also wore a beautiful and elaborate necklace from India that was\ncrafted of gold, enamel and beads. Women are noted for their makeup: beautiful\ndark eyes and dark red lips. They wear elaborate jewelry and striking outfits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dairy products, wheat, maize, and green and leafy vegetables\nare major foods of the Sikh diet. Many WTB members were familiar with lassi, a\ndrink made with buttermilk and either sugar or salt. Paneer (cottage cheese)\nand butter are musts in the diet. Sikhs do eat meat and chicken. Food and\nhospitality are important aspects of the culture. Guests are never sent out\nwithout food, whether they want it or not!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional slides showed a decorative man\u2019s shoe, called a jutis;\nacrobatic folk dances, called bhangra; a Sikh Barbie (this got gales of\nlaughter from the audience); and a turbaned, bearded man wearing a T-shirt that\nsaid, \u201cProud to be an American.\u201d Traditionally, first-born sons are raised to\nbe warriors and are expected to enter military service. Sikhs are expected to\nshare, care for, and fight for their country. The military of India has a Sikh\nregiment. In school, girls are taught to knit, crochet and embroider, both by\nhand and by machine. This is a very hard-working, loving and caring community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smita and Manda said that, in the end, despite their\ndifferences, Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, and other\nreligions are parallel. All religions teach the same thing: how to live a good\nlife, love, and care for others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our speakers grew up in India, in a diverse community of Jains, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians as well as Hindus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7994,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[25],"class_list":["post-7670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-programs","tag-sikhism",""],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7670"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8596,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7670\/revisions\/8596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}