大象传媒

Good morning. 聽As a young boy, I attended a Jain school in India for a short time. I remember learning about the basic Jain principles of non鈥搗iolence, non鈥揳bsolutism and non鈥損ossessiveness. I was fascinated at the length Jains went to avoiding harm to any living beings, wearing facemasks and carrying a brush to gently sweep any insects on the ground.聽
I remember the run up to Diwali night and how excited my brother and I would be about seeing the vast array of fireworks in the sky. It was my only real connection with the festival as a child. 聽I remember boys in my class boasting about how many fireworks their parents had bought for them, each trying to top the other. I recall one of my friends telling us how his family were Jains and so didn鈥檛 celebrate Diwali with fireworks.
Diwali or Dipavali has a very special significance in Jainism. It marks the anniversary of attainment of Nirvana salvation of Lord Mahavira, in the sixth century: the last propagator of the Jain faith. This event occurred on the night of Diwali at the dawn of the new moon, and it鈥檚 celebrated at the same time as the Hindu and Sikh festival of Diwali. 聽
For Jains, the day following Diwali marks the start of the Jain New Year. 聽Different religions use different dates to mark their new year, but regardless of whether it鈥檚 in January, April or November, this is a time where we reflect on our past year and aim to improve in the year to come.
Let us dispel ignorance from our lives and seek to improve not only our own lives but also those around us.