Articles & Blog
35 articles
Pratikraman: The Ritual of Reflection and Repentance
Pratikraman is the disciplined review of one's conduct, a turning back from wrongdoing performed daily, fortnightly and above all once a yea...
Samayika: The Practice of Equanimity
In Samayika the practitioner sits in calm equanimity for a fixed period, withdrawing from worldly activity to rest in the soul's true nature...
The Snatra Puja: Bathing the Newborn Tirthankara
The Snatra Puja re-enacts the celestial bathing of the infant Tirthankara on Mount Meru, a joyful ceremony of devotion performed in Jain tem...
Panch Kalyanaka Pratishtha Mahotsav
The grand consecration of a new temple image re-enacts the five auspicious events in a Tirthankara's life, from conception to liberation.
Mahamastakabhisheka at Shravanabelagola
Once in roughly twelve years the colossal statue of Bahubali at Shravanabelagola is anointed in a grand ceremony drawing pilgrims from acros...
Rath Yatra: The Chariot Procession of the Jinas
In the Rath Yatra an image of the Tirthankara is carried through the streets in a decorated chariot, bringing worship into the public thorou...
Kshamavani: The Digambara Day of Forgiveness
Closing the Das Lakshana festival, Kshamavani is the day on which the Digambara community seeks and grants forgiveness to all living beings.
Posadha: Living as an Ascetic for a Day
In the Posadha vow a householder withdraws from worldly life for a day and night, taking up the disciplines of a monk in temporary renunciat...
Attham and Chhath: Fasts of Two and Three Days
Multi-day fasts such as Attham and Chhath deepen the discipline of ordinary fasting, undertaken especially during Paryushana and other sacre...
Diksha: The Ceremony of Monastic Initiation
When a person renounces the world to become a Jain monk or nun, the community gathers for the solemn and joyful ceremony of Diksha.
The Jain Calendar and the Vira Nirvana Era
Jains reckon time by the Vira Nirvana Samvat, an era counted from the liberation of Mahavira and among the oldest continuously used calendar...
Rohini Vrat: A Vow for Well-Being and Restraint
Observed when the lunar mansion of Rohini prevails, this recurring vow of fasting and worship is kept especially by women across many months...