Today (at least, by some calendars) culminates Paryushana, the most holy festival of the year for Jains. It is a time for seeking a deeper level of spiritual intensity, through seeking forgiveness, prayer, meditation, and fasting. In honor of the holiday, Happy Paryushan Parva!
I have been seeking greater understanding about participants in many major world religions during the latter part of this summer. I steadfastly believe that only through reaching out and learning about each other can we become truly respectful through greater understanding.
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Das Lakshana (Paryushana) celebrations, Jain Center of America, New York City (photo by Aayush18/Wikimedia Commons)
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On this blog, that effort begins by offering greetings to worshipers of other faiths, for as many major holidays as I can learn about in time to post about them. Building bridges of greater understanding is my key goal. One of the joys of this "holidays" project is that it gives me an opportunity to learn how marvelously varied we humans are--and also how consistent.
In our varied ways, we dig deep for greater spiritual understanding and expression. For Paryushana, as explained by Dhirendra Kumar, the Paryushan Parva is "celebrated annually for self-purification and upliftment," and it "encourages Jains to observe the ten universal supreme virtues in daily life."
And every holiday includes some means of reaching out to others--to fellow believers, to families, to friends. One favorite way is through gatherings and special meals. Here's a sampling of Paryushan recipes, in case you'd like to explore them.
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| Foods for Paryushan Parva |
IMAGE CREDITS: Many thanks to Millenium Post's article by Dhirendra Kumar, for the basic art I used for my greeting graphic. I adapted it and added the greeting in Adobe Illustrator. Many thanks also to Aayush18 and Wikimedia Commons, for the photo of the celebrations at the Jain Center of America in New York City, NY. Please note the photo is by Aayush18 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0. And finally I am grateful to the Times of India for its article that shares recipes appropriate to the holiday, and also contributed the photo of the food. I feel deep appreciation to all of you! And I wish you a happy Paryushan Parva!
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