JAIN CLASSES BY PANKAJ JAIN AT NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY, NC

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT JAIN DHARMA ?

CLASSES AVAILABLE FOR JAINISM BY PANKAJ  JAIN  

Course Informational Video - From Mahavira to Mahatma Gandhi: The Nonviolent Jain Traditions of India


Description: Jainism is one of the oldest surviving religions that originated in India. Jains believe that every soul is divine and has the potential to achieve God-consciousness. Jainism was revived by a lineage of 24 enlightened ascetics culminating with Mahavira (600 BCE).


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Category: Education


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JAIN IS STARTING TO SPREAD ACROSS NORTH AMERICA ...





















From "opensourcebuddhism"  September 02, 2008 by Justin Blaha through Professor Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Powell II, opensourcebuddhism.org This piece offers a fairly thorough and basic introduction to the ancient Jain tradition and compares it ...  Justin Blaha through Professor Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Powell II, opensourcebuddhism.org This piece offers a fairly thorough and basic introduction to the ancient Jain tradition and compares it with core aspects of Buddhism. The similarities and contrasts are apparent in this very competent production.
Tags: humanities Jainism Buddhism religion philosophy India shramana Jina Jaina Mahavira Vardhamana Tirthankara Rev. Dr. James

COMPLETELY BEWITCHED BY THE DANCER & "NAMOKAR MANTRA"

Nupur Jain - Kuchipudi Rangapravesam. Namokar Mantra rendition in Kuchipudi style. Taken from http://www.youtube.com/  August 15, 2009. Choreographer: Prafulla Velury


Dancer dedication in dance (above) and singer's praise (below) sings to the tune of

Namokar Mantra or Namaskar Mantra

Namo Arihantanam                "I bow to the enlightened beings..."
Namo Ayariyanam                 "I bow to religious leaders..."
Namo Uvajjayanam               "I bow to religious teachers..."
Namo Loe Savva Sahua        "I bow to all ascetics of the world.
Eso Panch Namukkar 
Savva pava Panasano           "These five salutations are capable of destroying all the sins..."
Mangalancha Savvesin
Padhamam Havai Mangalam "This is the first happiness among all forms of happiness .. "









CHILDREN SINGING ....

10 min DEMO Film "JAIN ENLIGHTENS - A COSMIC WAY OF LIFE"

DVD AVAILABLE TO HELP RAISE FUNDS

FOR ONE HOUR FILMVIDEO FOR WORLDWIDE TV

September 15, 2009 - We have completed a beautiful 10 min DEMO film "JAIN ENLIGHTENMENT - A Cosmic Way of Life" by three young American editors on Sony Vegas Pro 8/9. 

Our "multicultural man of all seasons" celebrated filmmaker and Sony Editor Justin Fornal who edited the film, that same week was written up in the New York Times focuing on his TV program productions on New York's cultural diversity, Bronx Flavor on the Bronx Cable Channel Network ! He found the project incredible! Then there is Yoni Arava from Israel who enjoyed the challenge of editing the short DEMO. He is ready to complete the 56 min (one hour program) for USA and worldwide TV networks.   There is also Cuban/Spanish American Isis Nabut who had visited India in 2008. We are collaborating with NASA, and using some incredible photographic shots and film clips to show Jain cosmology dating back beyond 2,500 B.C. found in the scriptures !!! 

For all three of them, the film subject matter is truly fascinating, having learned a small fragment on who are Jains and what is Jain Dharma the first time ! The editors were really more interested in learning more about Jain cosmology and the scientific way of life, following the three major principles of Ahimsa (Non-Violence); Aparigrah (Non-Possessiveness) and Anekantwad (There is No Absolute Truth). 

Editor Isis Nabut has already started working on editing for free : "Palitana - City of Temples on the Hill" to inform and educate America about Forgiveness, Compassion, Forgiveness and Non-Violence in thought word and deed.  We returned from India and it took months to carefully review over some 150 hours of film video during two location trips. It has been decided that it is very important to produce a series of films on "THE ANNOINTED - Legend of Bahubali"; "The Story of King Adhinathan, His Golden City and the Dying Dancer..."; "A Man Called Lord Mahavira" and then a series of short films on "Sacred Pilgrimages - including Ranakpur, Ellora etc. to show Jain Images of Perfection concentrating on the unique temple architectures,sculptures and paintings - pure splendor of Jains since 2,500 B.C. Negotiations are underway with friends/business associates in France (French Jain teacher), Italy (wrote a book on India with the last chapter "A Date with Bahubali" and Japan (book on Jain temple architecture) who are associated with Jain Dharma and very interested in assisting in broadcasts in their countries, and willing to work on the language translation of the English Voice-Over. 

We will be having our premier screening of the one hour film at the River-to-River Film Festival in Florence, Italy on December 4-10, 2009. GCDF needs to network with like-minded people and the Jain communities in USA, Canada, UK and India to help us raise the funds for the editing budget, with the initial amount for the first one hour film estimated at $50,000 (involving special affects and animation). With one TV program ready for global broadcasting and theatre screenings, Global Cultural Diversity Films Inc (GCDF) management will approach and seek corporate sponsorships for worldwide TV/Cable and Satellite broadcasting, as well as the completion the TV series. GCDF management welcome everyone who is interested in entering this film project as investment partners and donors, realizing the situation of the US economy. 

Any ideas on how we all can work together are requested ? 

Sincerely, Vinanti New York Filmmaker Vinanti Sarkar,Director, Global Cultural Diversity Films (GCDF) Inc. 425 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022. Tel: 22-759-4568 Email: vinanti.v@gmail.com Website: www.globalfilmlinks.com 

Member of Linkedin / Twitter / Facebook / MySpace, etc. Review short clips on www.vimeo.com/6552452 ... /5084696 or /5084856 or /50864417 or /5092260 or /5092316 Join our discussions on blog: ttp://jainenlightenment.blogspot.com where we are inviting donors to help in funding and receive free DVDs in return.

JAIN ENLIGHTENMENT - A Way of Life

The outcome of the R & D ... please review the following video ? Your comments are welcome ?

We are presently editing (working title): JAIN ENLIGHTENMENT : A Way of Life, but our American consultants (writers and filmmakers) feel a more catching title is necessary to draw mainstream America into expressing and sharing their views and ideas on their personal ideas of Who Are Jains ?

Mostly, the answer has been "never heard of Jains ..." "we thought they were Hindus ..." listen to Stephanie Miller who spent 3 months in Jaipur studying Jain Dharma ... Join the conversation - Do you have comments ? Share your thoughts

We interviewed three young Americans from U.S. Universities studying Jain Dharma ... Here are some of their views ... Meet Stephanie Miller.

JAIN ENLIGHTENMENT - A Way of Life TV Series for Global Networks

THE MISSING LINK TO SALVATION (MOKSHA) 

When Global Cultural Diversity Films (GCDF) Inc. approached American fundraisers, they recalled President Obama raised a record-setting $605 million for his campaign from mostly small donations of $50, $100 and $500. Why can't GCDF raise $250,000 by following the President's example, they suggested ? 

If GCDF's film team, headed by Vinanti Sarkar, strongly believed that JAIN ENLIGHTENMENT (JE) video series offers the ultimate message of salvation for modern humanity with the recurring knowledge of Ahimsa (Non-Violence), Aparagrah (Non Possessiveness) and Anekantvad (There is no Absolute Truth), there should be no problem in politely asking readers and viewers to make a small donation. 

Recollect and remember the historical days of Mahatma Gandhi (30s-40s) who made the teachings of Mahavira his own foot prints, followed by Martin Luther King Jr. (50s-60s) and Nelson Mandela (70s-80s) and recognize in their teachings and preachings, the proofs of living with acts of non-violence, non-possessiveness and believing there is no absolute truth, but many truths to be heard and respected. 

These are the basic enlightening principles inherited from Lord Mahavira, who established Jain Dharma, succeeding with 23 Tirthankars (Prophets) through eternity in time. The central theme of Jain Dharma considers religion as a science of ethical practices. It conceives the human body as a chariot on which the soul rides towards ultimate liberation. 

So the video films will in a way, offer the "path towards liberation ... the pathway to human survival on Earth. The ultimate end and purpose of living beings and their goal to realize the free and blissful state of their true beings." Every soul can attain godhood - the supreme spiritual individuality by realizing its intrinsic purity and perfection. 

For the first time, GCDF presents a TV series of doc-dramas of "The Legend of Lord Bahubali" who lived before King Arthur and his Knights, long before Alexander the Great.  His father "King Adinath - 1st Tirthankara (Prophet)" and the "Man Called Mahavira - the 24th & last Tirthankar (Prophet)." 

The TV programs will dramatize the true meaning of the mere idea of non-violence in daily life. It will observe the concept of non-possessiveness and how to overcome this ultimate desire to own, possess and supremely control everything. Questions like why do we crave to possess ? Why this overwhelming sense of instant gratification ? Why this ruthless passion to desire and own ? 

The time has come to compete with global media that exists on sensationalizing news with half or no real truths, destroying self-esteem through examples of shallow celebrity life-styles, greed for ultimate power and selfish cravings, which focus on violence, sex, drugs and outrageous themes of excitement of domination, capturing the minds of the younger generation worldwide. 

  GCDF invites readers to share unedited video scenes of the film JAIN ENLIGHTMENT on our forth coming blogs, and YouTube, Vimeo and social media networks. Examine and discover for yourself those missing links towards understanding the meaning of salvation (moksha) in this life time.

Proposal to Raise $150,000 to Produce JAIN ENLIGHTENMEN

Deadlines to complete editing the films is marked at the end of June 2009 where We have put together a written proposal and biz contract to raise $150,000 to complete a series of films "to enlighten Americans and the world about Jain Dharma." The films offer the path to human survival on earth ...

Remember, Mahatma Gandhi made the teachings of Jain Dharma his own and liberated India of British Raj. Martin Luther King Jr. followed Gandhi's teachings of Ahimsa to liberate Afro Americans to be recognized as citizens of America and Nelson Mandela empowered and liberated the native South Africans.

The central theme of "JAIN ENLIGHTENMENT - A Way of Life" will focus on the scientific practice of living ...

Have you seen the videos on Jains, Jainism, Jain Religion, etc. on http://www.youtube.com/ ? What do you think about them ? Our researchers have reviewed most, if not all, of the films and found only a handful of professional programs, mostly from Germany and France.

GCDF Inc. team has filmed via digital/HD video over two hundred hours of film during three location trips in India and our script writers are designing TV series to be produced, professonally, in the popular reality TV format to show the out of space existence over      6, 000 years ago ! 

When we approached American investing producers and fundraisers, they advised that raising $150,000 was a simple task. The goal to achieve was not difficult and directed GCDF Inc. to move towards a systematic system of directly contacting interested parties with suggested numbers: 

 Ask 30 people to invest $5,000 with biz contract of 10% return on global sales & DVDs 

 Ask 50 people to invest $3,000 with biz contract of 10% return on global TV sales & DVDs Ask 150 people to invest $1000 with biz contract of 10% return on global TV sales & DVDs Ask 300 people to invest $ 500 with biz contract of 10% return on global TV sales & DVDs

So we are putting an email list together to invite like-minded people who understand the importance of GCDF Inc. ultimate goal to fund JAIN ENLIGHTENMENT - A Way of Life ... which offers today's solutions to humanity ... Ahimsa (Non-Violence), Anekant (There is No Absolute Truth) and Aparagrah (Non-Possessiveness) to bring about peace and harmony. We welcome any suggestions, email sam09May@verizon.net or Tel: 212-759-4568.

Once in a Lifetime Pilgrimage to produce JAIN ENLIGHTENMENT - A Way of Life

Working for over three years researching and developing the film project, Global Cultural Diversity Films Team have become very passionate on completing the post-production of "JAIN ENLIGHTENMENT - A Way of Life."

From early research, the filmmakers discovered the uniqueness of the world's oldest civilization. Jain Dharma dates back beyond 5,000 years as a indepedent scientific philosophy. It presents "a way of life" that follows basic principles presented in Jain scriptures.  All teachings follow a highly scientific philosophy where the concept of god incarnate lies within every living soul, the purest god form and is capable to achieving "moksha," another word for nirvana. 

Nothing is blind faith. For Jains all life forms posses a soul and all souls are basically equal, to be treated with respect, compassion and love. 

You may ask: why is it so important to produce this film ? The reason is Jain Dharma offers solutions ... simple answers ... to the state of the world today - which is filled with devastating violence, mericless terrorism, unimaginable natural devastations, mental, and physical turmoils of the mind, body and soul.  

In the last millennium, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mendala liberated their people and countries with one fraction of Jain cosmic philosophy - the principle of Ahimsa (Non-Violence). These historical leaders learned that violence is committed in three ways: thoughts, words and deeds of action. All impure thoughts need forgiveness. Violent words leave permanent scars in the heart and mind of others. All acts of Ego involve anger, fear, deceit and greed. All thoughts are the root cause of words and actions, and violent thoughts may or may not result in violent physical actions, but they damage the soul. Special attention on these activities are the religious activities of Jain philosophy and help human beings to get rid of vices, of inner and outer turmoils and offer peace and harmony. 

Jains live by three major principles: Ahimsa (Non-Violence); Anekantavada (Non-Absolutism or plauralistic view points) and Aparigraha (Non-Possessiveness).

The Legend of Lord Bahubali

Over three years ago in November 2005, I beheld the giant statue of warrior King Bahubali on top of the hill ...

It is 23 May 2009 ...

Three years ago, we started pre-production work researching a documentary film on Jainism, after I met Doanld Rubin, Chairman & President of the Rubin Museum of Art in mid-June 2005. He confessed that it was his "dream wish" to have the first Jain Art Exhibition at the Rubin Museum of Art, because he possessed one of the most beautiful Jain tanka painting which he and his wife purchased on Madison Avenue thirty years ago when he was a poor man.

Today, my film team and I are reviewing over 150 hours of digital video under the title "JAIN ENLIGHTEMENT - A Way of Life." It began with three months of intensive research and development and a small budget of $10,000 which afforded uis the first R & D trip. With a second budget of $20,000 from a Jain foundation we returned to film the once-in-every 12 years celebration of the grand celebration of the Maha-mas-teka-abhishek annointment of Lord Bahubali in the small town of Shavenvelgola.

The digital/HD film was a witness to the trips to India where we traveled extensively researching and filming some of the most sacred Jain pilgrimages to temples of architectural perfection in Rajasthan -- Ranakpur, Mount Abu and Palitana. From Ahmedabad to Mumbai, we flew down South to the small village of Shra-ven-bel-gola in Karnataka State. 

It was here that I witnessed the overwheming discovery of a warrior King called Bahu-bali, whose life story deserves a feature film in the making.

Of course, there were those ancient Jain temples in Ellora, and interviews with many academic Jain scholars, religious leaders from Swamis, monks to learned nuns, including historians well-versed in Jain art, paintings and the perfection of temple archecture.

I am indebted to my sister who arrived from Birmingham, UK, and purchased a Sony laptop with Sony Vegas Pro 8, when she learned how the Jain diamond merchant and several businessmen and women had disappeared into oblivion, after promising to fund post production.

At last, we were able to convince a Jain friend to fund the dramatic 10 minute DEMO tape to be presented to PBS, cable and WebTV networks, where post-production funding will eventually complete the unique stories and enlighten the world about the world's oldest "way of life ... dating long before the days of Alexander the Great, King Arthur and his Knights ... back beyond 5000 years ago ...

We welcome well wishers to contribute their thoughts and ideas ... as our creative juices have started with the editing the dramatic Jain rituals and life-styles interwoven in new wave music of the centuries past. We plan to get the project ready for the Rubin Museum of Art's Jain Exhibit called "VICTORIOUS ONES: Jain Images of Perfection" which opens on 18 September 2009 to 12 February 2010.