Jan Fasquerel.
Celebration of ten supreme spiritual traits of the soul.
To enhance awareness of our inner self.
Namaskar Jai Jinendra!
Today I will introduce you.
10,
00,
000 parvo.
Considered as the most revered festival of the Jains.
Tradition.
Over the next few days,
We will explore these 10 tips.
More importantly understand.
How they can become part of our everyday lives to gain greater insight of our true self and lead a happier life.
But before we begin,
Let us understand the importance of rainy season called Chaturmas.
Of the year.
For the Jains.
For Jains,
The rainy season is a particularly seduction period.
A period of about 4 months.
From July.
To October.
Why?
Think about what happens during this period.
The dry parched earth.
Becomes green and fertile.
Water fills ponds,
Lakes and rivers,
And with water and vegetation,
Comes an enormous increase of life.
Countless tiny living beings flourish.
Particularly the subtle one-seasoned forms of the associated with earth,
Water,
Air and plants.
For Jans this creates a special responsibility.
Why?
Their holy ascetics traditionally avoid walking from one place to another.
During this period because Travelling during this rainy season could unintentionally cause harm to the many forms of life that emerge and flourish during this period.
So the ascetics stay in one place.
Usually at or near a religious center.
And what do the lay followers do?
They take advantage of the period of evolving their inner awareness and happiness simultaneously.
They also make changes to their normal routine and devote more times for inner awareness and development.
How they may spend more time in prayer and worship,
Go on pilgrimage,
Practice fasting and dietary discipline,
Meditate,
Study scriptures,
Engage in charity and very importantly they practice seeking and granting forgiveness.
So Chaturmas becomes a period not only of physical change in nature,
But also of inner change.
In the individuals.
It is during this rainy season that the most important Gyan festivals called Paryushan Mahaparabha is celebrated.
Paryushan means the festival of being near or with the soul.
It takes place during the Hindu month of Bhadra,
Generally around September and October.
There is a little difference in the way the two major Jain traditions observe this parva or festival.
The Shwetambar tradition observes pollution for 8 days fast.
Followed by December edition.
Observed the following ten days as Das Lakshana Parva.
And each of these ten days are devoted to one of the ten supreme spiritual traits of the soul.
Now an important question arises.
What are these ten traits?
These traits are the qualities that Jain philosophy considers inherent in the pure soul.
Deeper,
And we practice them in our lives,
They help us experience greater peace,
Contentment,
Compassion,
And inner freedom.
In 2026,
Destruction Pearl will be observed from September 15th to 24th.
During these 10 days,
We will explore one corresponding spiritual trait or attribute of the soul every day.
These ten spiritual traits are first,
Supreme Forgiveness.
Or Uttam Shama.
Second is supreme humility,
Or Uttam Marta.
Third is Supreme Straightforwardness or Simplicity in and Uttam Arjo.
Fourth is Supreme Contentment or 5th is supreme truthfulness.
6th is supreme self-restraint.
Autam Sanyam.
Seventies.
Supreme.
Austerity.
Oottam Tak.
Here too.
Supreme.
Giving or renunciation.
Uttam Tyag.
Nineties.
Supreme non-attachment.
Or aloofness.
Uttam Aakinchanya.
And the last is 10,
000.
Supreme chastity.
Staying in tune with the soul.
Uttam Brahmacharya these 10 traits together provide us with a roadmap for inner development.
The implication and progression of these 10 traits is beautifully expressed as Uttam Shastra Sathya Sanyam Upatam Aatam Chanya Brahmacharya Dharam In simple terms,
The verse tells us that supreme forgiveness,
Humility and simplicity are traits we need to cultivate.
In our thoughts and conduct.
Supreme Truthfulness,
Purity,
Self-Restraint,
Austerity and Enunciation are the practices that help purify our inner life.
And the last two are the essence of Dharma,
That is non-attachment and remaining connected with our nature.
Now the question arises,
Why do we call them supreme?
Because supreme refers to the perfect state of these qualities.
The state in which they are fully expressed by a pure soul.
Now we should not become discouraged and say,
I am not forgiving enough.
I am not humble enough.
I am not truthful enough.
Yes,
That's right.
But don't get discouraged.
We are human beings.
We may not yet embody these.
Qualities perfectly.
The purpose of the festival is not to expect perfection overnight.
The purpose is to recognize these qualities.
Understand them.
And gradually cultivate them according to our capacity.
From a small movement in the right direction is meaningful.
Forgiveness to forgiveness.
There is something particularly beautiful about the structure.
Of this festival.
It begins with supreme forgiveness and it culminates in seeking forgiveness from others and ultimately from our own soul.
This is the beauty of Jain philosophy.
So we can look at the entire festival as a journey from forgiveness to forgiveness.
What does this tell us?
It tells us that spiritual development is not merely about performing rituals.
It is about cleaning our inner life,
Inner soul.
It is about developing a deeper insight into our true self.
Our soul.
It is about letting go of resentment.
Anger,
Ego,
And other harmful emotions.
And it is about giving ourselves an opportunity to begin afresh.
As our understanding of the true self becomes deeper,
We can experience greater peace of mind.
Greater contentment.
Greater spiritual well-being and greater freedom from stress.
And when we are perfectly peaceful within,
It affects everything around us.
It can contribute to our physical health.
It can improve our relationship.
And it can enhance our overall well-being.
So,
Spiritual development is not something separate from everyday life.
It is about learning how to live.
A healthier happier and more harmonious life for ourselves and for others.
From the Jain perspective,
This inner purification also helps us reduce the influx of new inauspicious karmas and gradually cultivate dispositions that support Freedom from Karmic Bondage.
How can we actually benefit from these 10 days?
My suggestion is very simple.
Is spent just 15 to 20 minutes.
Each day contemplating the spiritual attribute of that day.
Not merely reading about it.
Not merely listening to a lecture.
But actually asking yourself.
Three questions.
What does this quality mean in my life?
Where am I lacking this quality and most importantly how can I practice it today?
These three questions can turn the festival from something.
We simply celebrate.
Into something we actually experience and that is the most important thing.
In a very broad sense,
We might compare these ten attributes with the Ten Commandments in Christianity.
But they are very different.
But these are an important difference.
These are not commandments imposed upon us from outside.
They are presented as spiritual ideals that help us discover and express the qualities within ourselves.
The program consists of a series of 10 short audio sessions.
Is for a special date of that day.
And then there will be an 11th.
Session on seeking forgiveness which brings the journey to its culmination.
I suggest that you listen and contemplate one attribute each day in sequence.
In this way,
You can experience the selection perfectly.
Not simply as a festival,
But as an inner journey.
If possible listen to each session on the day dedicated to that particular day,
So the journey will begin like this,
September 15th,
Supreme Forgiveness.
September 16,
2018.
Supreme humility.
September 17th.
Supreme simplicity.
Or straightforwardness.
And so on.
The 10th day which is supreme.
Chastity.
On September 24th.
And then on September 25th.
The 11th and concluding session will be focused on forgiveness seeking forgiveness this will bring our journey to completion Let's make it.
An opportunity to understand ourselves more deeply.
Let us use these 10 days to observe I love talks.
To observe our emotions,
To observe our reactions and to recognize where we are holding anger Eagle.
Attachment or resentment.
And then little by little,
Let us transform these responses.
Let us move towards greater peace,
Greater compassion,
Greater awareness.
And a more conscious way of living.
If you do that,
These 10 days can become much more than 10 days of religious observance.
They can become 10 steps towards inner transformation.
May this reflection path bring greater insight into our true self.
May it help us become more peaceful,
Compassionate and conscious.
And may it help us live not only better for ourselves but also better for living beings around us.
Best wishes for a meaningful and transformative dyslexia period.
Namaste Jai Jinendra Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
