Siddhachalam
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Siddhachalam
Siddhachalam is the first Jain Tirtha (pilgrimage site) located outside of India. Founded in 1983 by Sushil Kumar, it is located on a 108-acre (44ha) site in rural New Jersey, United States. Siddhachalam (Hindi: ''siddha'', liberated souls; ''achal'', a permanent place, as a mountain) literally means the abode of liberated souls. History In 1980, Sushil Kumar encouraged his disciples to acquire a long-abandoned children's summer camp and founded an '' ashram'' there to teach '' ahimsa''. Kumar reportedly engaged there in extended samadhi meditation. Twelve years later, he encouraged the community to establish temples in homage to ''Jinas''. The ashram maintains the only Jain monastery outside India. Siddhachalam has become an important center of Jain conferences and an important Jain pilgrimage. The center houses idols from all Jain sects, given that American Jains have sought to not bring in sectarian differences from India. In 2012, Siddhachalam became the site for the wor ...
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Jainism In The United States
Adherents of Jainism first arrived in the United States in the 20th century. Jain immigration began in earnest in the late 1960s and continues to the present day. History In 1893, Virachand Gandhi became the first Jain delegate to visit the United States, representing Jainism in the first ever Parliament of World Religions. As the first practicing Jain to speak publicly in the United States on Jainism, he is a key figure in the history of American Jainism. The first St. Louis Jain temple in the United States was built for the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. After the fair, the temple moved to Las Vegas and later to Los Angeles. It is now owned by the Jain Center of Southern California. Adherents of Jainism first arrived in the United States in 1944. Jain immigration began in earnest in the late 1960s after the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965. The United States has since become a center of the Jain diaspora. The first former Jain monastic to travel to the United Sta ...
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Sushil Kumarji
Sushil Kumar (15 June 1926 – 22 April 1994) was a Jain teacher and monk (later Acharya). He was a self-realized master who devoted more than 50 years to promoting non-violence, peace and knowledge of the self. Guruji (as he is lovingly called by many of his devotees) was born on June 15, 1926 in Sikhopur, a small foothill village in Haryana, India. The village was later named Sushilgarh in Guruji’s honor. As a seven year old he left his home to live with Shri Chotelalji Maharaj, who later become his religious guru. When Guruji was still a young boy, Shri Roop Chandji Maharaj appeared to him in his spirit and told him to become a monk. (MAHARAJ was a great yogi and enlightened master in the family of monks to which Guruji belongs. He left his body 100 years ago. Shri Roop Chandji Maharaj is Guruji’s Spiritual guru). In this life, Guruji was not taught yogic systems from any master. His knowledge was realised through direct experience, and his powers were awakened throu ...
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Sushil Kumar (Jain Monk)
Sushil Kumar (15 June 1926 – 22 April 1994) was a Jain teacher and monk (later Acharya). He was a self-realized master who devoted more than 50 years to promoting non-violence, peace and knowledge of the self. Guruji (as he is lovingly called by many of his devotees) was born on June 15, 1926 in Sikhopur, a small foothill village in Haryana, India. The village was later named Sushilgarh in Guruji’s honor. As a seven year old he left his home to live with Shri Chotelalji Maharaj, who later become his religious guru. When Guruji was still a young boy, Shri Roop Chandji Maharaj appeared to him in his spirit and told him to become a monk. (MAHARAJ was a great yogi and enlightened master in the family of monks to which Guruji belongs. He left his body 100 years ago. Shri Roop Chandji Maharaj is Guruji’s Spiritual guru). In this life, Guruji was not taught yogic systems from any master. His knowledge was realised through direct experience, and his powers were awakened throu ...
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Shikharji
Shri Sammet Shikharji () is a pilgrimage site in Giridih district, Jharkhand, India. It is located on Parasnath hill, the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand. It is the most important Jain Tirtha (pilgrimage site) by both Digambara and Śvētāmbara, for it is the place where twenty of the twenty-four Jain tirthankaras along with many other monks attained Moksha. Etymology ''Shikharji'' means the "venerable peak". The site is also called Sammet Śikhar "peak of concentration." because it is a place where twenty of twenty-four Tirthankaras attained Moksha through meditation. The word "Parasnath" is derived from Parshvanatha, the twenty-third Jain Tirthankara, who was one of those who is believed to have attained Moksha at the site. Geography Shikarji is located in an inland part of rural east India. It lies on NH-2, the Delhi-Kolkata highway in a section called the Grand Trunk road Shikharji rises to making it the highest mountain in Jharkhand state. Jain traditi ...
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Tirtha (Jainism)
In Jainism, a ''tīrtha'' ( sa, तीर्थ "ford, a shallow part of a body of water that may be easily crossed") is used to refer both to pilgrimage sites as well as to the four sections of the ''sangha''. A ''tirtha'' provides the inspiration to enable one to cross over from worldly engagement to the side of ''moksha''. Jain ''tirthas'' are located throughout India. Often a ''tirtha'' has a number of temples as well as residences (dharmashala) for the pilgrims and wandering monks and scholars. Types ''Tirtha'' sites include: * ''Siddhakshetra''s or site of ''moksha'' liberation of an '' arihant'' (''kevalin'') or Tirthankaras like Ashtapada Hill, Shikharji, Girnar, Pawapuri, Palitana, Mangi-Tungi and Champapuri (capital of Anga) * ''Atishayakshetra''s where divine events have occurred like Mahavirji, Rishabhdeo, Kundalpur, Aharji etc. * ''Puranakshetra''s associated with lives of great men like Ayodhya, Vidisha, Hastinapur, and Rajgir * ''Gyanakshetra'': associated w ...
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Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being Rishabhadeva, whom the tradition holds to have lived millions of years ago, the twenty-third ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha, whom historians date to the 9th century BCE, and the twenty-fourth ''tirthankara'' Mahāvīra, Mahavira, around 600 BCE. Jainism is considered to be an eternal ''dharma'' with the ''tirthankaras'' guiding every time cycle of the Jain cosmology, cosmology. The three main pillars of Jainism are ''Ahimsa in Jainism, ahiṃsā'' (non-violence), ''anekāntavāda'' (non-absolutism), and ''aparigraha'' (asceticism). Jain monks, after positioning themselves in the sublime state of soul consciousness, take five main vows: ''ahiṃsā'' (non-violence), ''satya'' (truth), ''Achourya, asteya'' (not stealing), ''b ...
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Mahāvīra
Mahavira (Sanskrit: महावीर) also known as Vardhaman, was the 24th ''tirthankara'' (supreme preacher) of Jainism. He was the spiritual successor of the 23rd ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha. Mahavira was born in the early part of the 6th century BCE into a royal Kshatriya Jain family in ancient India. His mother's name was Trishala and his father's name was Siddhartha. They were lay devotees of Parshvanatha. Mahavira abandoned all worldly possessions at the age of about 30 and left home in pursuit of spiritual awakening, becoming an ascetic. Mahavira practiced intense meditation and severe austerities for twelve and a half years, after which he attained '' Kevala Jnana'' (omniscience). He preached for 30 years and attained Moksha (liberation) in the 6th century BCE, although the year varies by sect. Historically, Mahavira, who revived and preached Jainism in ancient India, was an older contemporary of Gautama Buddha. Jains celebrate ''Mahavir Janma Kalyanak'' every y ...
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Jain Temples In The United States
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being Rishabhadeva, whom the tradition holds to have lived millions of years ago, the twenty-third ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha, whom historians date to the 9th century BCE, and the twenty-fourth ''tirthankara'' Mahavira, around 600 BCE. Jainism is considered to be an eternal ''dharma'' with the ''tirthankaras'' guiding every time cycle of the cosmology. The three main pillars of Jainism are ''ahiṃsā'' (non-violence), ''anekāntavāda'' (non-absolutism), and ''aparigraha'' (asceticism). Jain monks, after positioning themselves in the sublime state of soul consciousness, take five main vows: ''ahiṃsā'' (non-violence), ''satya'' (truth), ''asteya'' (not stealing), ''brahmacharya'' (chastity), and ''aparigraha'' (non-possessiveness). These pr ...
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Indian-American Culture In New Jersey
Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred to as "Indians" and are known as "American Indians". With a population of more than four and a half million, Indian Americans make up 1.4% of the U.S. population and are the largest group of South Asian Americans, as well as the second largest group of Asian Americans after Chinese Americans. Indian Americans are the highest-earning ethnic group in the United States.Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Terminology In the Americas, the term "Indian" had historically been used to describe indigenous people since European colonization in the 15th century. Qualifying terms such as " American Indian" and " East Indian" were and still are commonly used in order to avoid ambiguity. The U.S. government has since coined the term "Native Am ...
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McFarland & Company
McFarland & Company, Inc., is an American independent book publisher based in Jefferson, North Carolina, that specializes in academic and reference works, as well as general-interest adult nonfiction. Its president is Rhonda Herman. Its former president and current editor-in-chief is Robert Franklin, who founded the company in 1979. McFarland employs a staff of about 50, and had published 7,800 titles. McFarland's initial print runs average 600 copies per book. Subject matter McFarland & Company focuses mainly on selling to libraries. It also utilizes direct mailing to connect with enthusiasts in niche categories. The company is known for its sports literature, especially baseball history, as well as books about chess, military history, and film. In 2007, the ''Mountain Times'' wrote that McFarland publishes about 275 scholarly monographs and reference book titles a year; Robert Lee Brewer reported in 2015 that the number is about 350. List of scholarly journals The following ...
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Brampton Jain Temple
Brampton Jain Temple or the Bhagwan 1008 Adinatha Swamy Jain Temple, is the first Jain temple in Canada constructed using traditional Indian architecture. The temple is located at 7875 Mayfield Road in Brampton, ON Canada, L7E 0W1. The temple houses shrines for Rishabhanatha (also called ''Adinātha''). The Greater Toronto Area has the largest concentration of the followers of Jainism in Canada and has the highest number of Jain temples of all Canadian urban areas. History There are about 10,000 Jains in Canada, mostly concentrated in one province. Two-thirds of the Jain community is concentrated in the metropolitan Toronto area. In 2011, the temple construction was overseen by Bhattarak Charukeerthi, Moodabidri from India. Many people brought their own bricks to lay for the foundation of the temple. The temple celebrated its Pratishta Mahotsav in 2014. In 2015, 2000 people visited the temple for its anniversary celebrations, which were marked by religious discourses. MPP Dipik ...
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