Jai Jinendra! This past year has been nothing short of extraordinary for the YJA community.

When we sat down last fall, we began with one hope: to spark a fire in our board members, a belief that anything is possible when guided by purpose and clarity. That spark grew into a force of passion, creativity, and momentum, propelling us to reimagine not just what YJA could do but what Jain youth could achieve together.

We anchored our year in a simple vision with a big promise: Sangh, Seva, Spirituality, and Sustainability. These 4 S’s became our blueprint to building a thriving Jain youth organization, and encompass what we stand for: Sangh is about connecting youth and creating community; Seva is putting compassion in action; Spirituality is living our values every day; Sustainability is building systems that ensure YJA thrives not just now, but for generations. These pillars became the heartbeat of every initiative, every event, and every decision. With them, we didn’t just create opportunities; we redefined what’s possible.

SANGH transformed from local temple groups to building a vibrant, connected youth community across North America. This year, we scaled retreat attendance by 20%, welcomed 350+ youth at National Dinners, and hosted 14 sold-out retreats across North America, including the first-ever retreat in Canada. We launched YJA Run Club to promote fitness and well-being, held a three-day YJA Track at the JAINA Convention in Chicago for 550+ attendees, grew our Instagram family from 5K to 31K followers globally, connected youth through Humans of YJA stories, and built an online Reddit community through YJA Reflect.

We introduced a College Application Mentorship Program and Roommate Matching Program, connected youth through a virtual chess competition, an interregional game night, and saw community members host an unprecedented number of local events. Across the country, connection became a lived experience — everywhere we went, Jain youth felt seen, valued, and part of something bigger than themselves.

SEVA moved beyond the idea of volunteering. It became service with soul. We launched the first-ever Seva Retreat in Washington, D.C., with 19 attendees cleaning several pounds of trash at a local park and cutting crates of produce at the DC Central kitchen, mobilized youth through seva at regional retreats — from restoring bird habitats to packing hygiene kits — and at JAINA, hosted local events like Strikes for Seva, and turned compassion into tangible action. Partnering with incredible community organizations taught us that even the smallest acts have far-reaching impacts.

SPIRITUALITY became a driving force at the heart of everything we do. From the first-ever YJA Summer Shibir, a spiritual retreat hosted at Siddhachalam, to sharing Tirth Yatra journeys online, and from launching YJA Talks sessions across the nation to releasing the latest edition of Younger Minds for our pre-YJA aged audience, we made Jain education accessible, engaging, and meaningful for today’s generation. We also proudly represented youth in milestone moments for our community, including the first-ever World Navkar Mantra Day in Times Square, NYC, the JSMW Pratistha and JCNC’s 25th anniversary ceremonies, the Diksha celebration of YJA member Rishi Zaveri in Shahpur, India, and the Shilyanas of a new Bahubali Tirth at Siddhachalam. Through each of these experiences, we were reminded that spirituality is not a memorized lesson, but a way of life to be embraced.

SUSTAINABILITY drove us to act in the present to prepare YJA for the future. We laid the groundwork for long-term success by launching a new Director of Operations role, reshaping existing roles into Director of Marketing and Director of Community Relations, creating an Investment Advisory Committee and Operations Advisory Committee, launching the Lifetime Supporter program, modernizing the YJA Elections process, and reimagining how to make Executive Board years sustainable during Convention years. We aimed higher than ever before, and built a foundation for YJA to not only thrive today but to grow, adapt, and lead the way for generations of Jain youth still to come.

Every step of the way, we watched board members grow, not just in what they were capable of, but in the kinds of leaders they believed they could become. They took ownership, made bold decisions, and launched first-of-their-kind initiatives and events that will shape YJA for years. Most importantly, they led with heart. Together, we proved that YJA is a movement of young people rooted in Jain values, daring to dream big in a modern world. As we look ahead, we could not be more excited that the next chapter of this movement will unfold at the 2026 YJA Convention in New Jersey, an event that will bring the YJA vision to life on a national stage yet again.

We are endlessly grateful to our Executive Board and Team YJA - comprised of 250+ volunteer youth acting behind the scenes as Committee Members, Local Representatives, and Project Team members. To our mentors, Board of Trustees, alumni, donors, sanghs, JAINA, and parents, you made this year possible. Thank you for your support, always.

As our term comes to a close, we leave with one hope: that the spark of energy we created this year transpires in the hands, hearts, and souls of youth leaders. That future generations see themselves as builders of something meaningful, legendary, inspiring, and bold. That, year after year, we continue to prove that for Jain youth, the possibilities are truly endless.

With #yjalove and gratitude,
Harshita Jain and Mahima Shah
2024–2025 YJA Co-Chairs

Letter from the 2024–2025 YJA Co-Chairs was originally published in Young Minds on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In this second and final episode, Mumukshu Rishi Zaveri (now P.P. Rushi HemVijayji Maharaj Saheb) talks about how young Jains can build spiritual consistency, practice Jainism authentically abroad, and strengthen global community ties. Listen to the episode here or read the full transcript below.

Vidhi Piparia: So, this next segment is going to be about how young Jains across the world — and across America and the United Kingdom — can cultivate their relationships with Jainism away from the motherland, where Jainism was originally cultivated.

My first question to you, Rishi, is about how even if we, as young Jains, may not understand every aspect of Jain philosophy — how can we continue to progress spiritually and practice Jainism in our day-to-day lives?

Rishi Zaveri: Good question, because I also don’t understand everything about Jainism, and I would be lying — I think most people would be lying — [if] they said that they did. So, I personally don’t think spirituality and [the] understanding of Jainism are as tightly linked.

I think what’s more linked is understanding the intention behind those things. So [if] I only understand, let’s say, very little, what is the intention [of that little understanding]? What am I supposed to gain from that [understanding]? How do I apply that in my day-to-day life? That is spirituality.

Spirituality isn’t [just] sitting and meditating, or doing some sort of rituals all the time. Real spirituality is saying “this is what Jainism is intending.” Jainism is saying that we need to minimize our impact on the environment — okay, what do I do to do that? Jainism is saying [to] minimize the impact on my own health, on my own mental peace — okay, [now] what are the things I should be doing to do that? I think that is spirituality.

So even if I don’t understand everything, the little that I understand — what is it trying to say? Does that little bit that I understand, does that at least make sense? Do I have some sort of practical way of applying that? And if so, start from there.

A Sadhu’s¹ life — at least for me — [means] the first 10 to 15 years is just studying 15 hours a day. Why? Because I know I have so much more to learn. If I were to say, “Okay, I’m a Sadhu now, the highest post a human can have. Now I understand everything and I’m good,” that would be the exact opposite of what I’m supposed to be doing.

So, don’t worry about how much you understand, [or] don’t understand. You might find — definitely, you will find — contradictions or hypocrisies. Those things clear over time through experience, not always just through words and logic, [but] sometimes it take[s] experience to bring answers [to] those. More than that, whatever I understand — whatever I experience — let me go as deep as I can into that, and then from there your path broadens automatically.

Vidhi Piparia: Could you maybe — to ground this a little bit more — give us an example of a teaching, or a principle that you initially had known the idea of, or grew up knowing the idea of, or learning about it in Pathshala², and then took to actually practicing it and experiencing it to understand what it really meant?

Rishi Zaveri: I’ll take a couple if I have some time.

The first thing was maybe around rituals, like puja³. That was something my parents forced me to do every weekend — until I got to college and I didn’t have to do it anymore. Surprisingly to me, at least at that point, [was that] once I found my guru and started spending time with him, he never really forced me to do puja.

But there came a time when, as I studied, I understood: I know who Bhagwan⁴ was, or who Prabhu⁵ was, I know his teachings somewhat, I know the benefits of those teachings. Once I had built that connection with him through his teachings, I was like, “Oh, puja is my way of connecting with him more. Puja is my way of actually showing that gratitude or actually using him as a mirror — this is who he is and I am the same as him.”

That was what puja [was] then, as I understood it. Now when I do puja, I know exactly what I’m doing, I know why I’m doing it — I have that connection. And it took that time because before, I was like — what is this ritual, really, how is it helping? But now [when] I do puja, I see those daily results — to the point that if I don’t do puja that day, I can feel that something was missing because I understand now what I’m supposed to be gaining from it.

The second example [is] Pratikraman⁶. Most of us only do Pratikraman once a year during Samvatsari⁷, and that was the same for me for a long time. But now I understand why is it necessary to repent for the things we’ve done wrong. What are the sutras that I’m saying, what [do they] actually mean, why are they important?

When I started understanding and growing my understanding of those things, now it [started to] make sense. Now I understand why it is so long, or why are we doing these super long Kausaggs⁸ where we are just standing in place for 30 minutes [and] we have no idea what’s going on? All of those things started to make sense. And it took time to build up that understanding. I only understood Pratikraman from a high level. Then I got deeper and deeper, and now I understand it word to word — what does each word mean. But it takes that time.

Nishi Shah: Thank you, Rishi. That’s really helpful, [especially] the Pratikraman part, which I do every year but am [still] learning more and more in-depth.

The next question is: what are a few small, realistic niyams, or spiritual goals, that young Jains can take on today that will help them stay grounded in our Jain values?

Rishi Zaveri: So, broadly, what is the point of a Niyam⁹, first of all? Really, Niyams are something that bring consistency into our life.

We might do [various Jain practices], right? Many times, when I speak to people and especially youth, they’ll say, “Oh, when I do Pratikraman, on Samvatsari, I like it. I feel that change.” Or, “When I go to the temple maybe once a month for some function, I do feel that peace.”

When we do many of these rituals or practices, but when they’re one-off, we’re still feeling the benefits of it. What Niyams help us do is bring consistency. And for consistency, we don’t want to do anything that’s super heavy — otherwise it’s really hard to bring consistency. We want to do small things. What I say, when it comes to Niyams, is it’s something we have to do. You have two options: something that you really like and you want to go deeper into, or something that is a little bit outside of your comfort zone. But both things, I think, are valid Niyams. For example, someone says, “Well, I don’t really like sitting still. If I sit still, my mind wanders. But, I want to bring that ability to bring my mind a little bit more to focus.” So then a small niyam like that is counting 108 Navkars¹⁰ — one mala every day, or maybe four times a week, or something like that. It has to be consistent and somewhat frequent. If it’s like once a week, that maybe doesn’t always help.

There are some people who I know because they’re very engaged in the community and they’re always running around and doing things like that. Something for them could be like a Samayik. What’s the point of a Samayik? It’s to bring you into the present, because [if[ you’re so focused on external things, you’re always running; your own mind is always in like ten different places. Samayik is that place where you bring that peace and you bring that oneness.

For many, it doesn’t have to be [focused on sutras] — even if you don’t know the sutras¹¹, at least these 48 minutes I’m sitting here, I’m focused on just one particular thing. I’m not thinking about anything [but] at least I’m not bringing those kinds of catalysts, right? So you can stay away from your phone, from your laptop, from any other sort of distractions.

For some, it could be learning or reading. I love reading. Like I said, learning is always the first step to changing your life. So, it could be, “Let me read some Jain books, no more than 10 or 15 minutes a day. If I understand Gujarati and Hindi, maybe I can listen to some sort of sermon or pravachan of a Maharaj Saheb¹².”

All of these things should be something that is not so heavy that after two weeks you’re like, “Okay, this is really exhausting to do.” But, you also don’t want something that’s very infrequent as well, because the frequency creates the consistency, which brings deeper understanding, a deeper attachment, and it builds that kind of habit — because you want to make these things habitual.

Vidhi Piparia: So we’ve talked a little bit about what young Jains can do individually to promote and progress their own spirituality, and I think we want to transition a little bit more into what young Jains can do to progress their community as a whole. And so, Rishi, I know a big part of your journey to Diksha¹³ has involved sharing your message widely and connecting with Jain organizations around the world, and from those interactions you’ve seen the diversity [in], along with the strengths of, these various Jain communities.

As leaders within our own Jain organizations, how can we work to bridge these communities so that we’re not just growing individually, but also learning from each other and collaborating in ways that uplift the global Jain community as a whole?

Rishi Zaveri: That’s a great question. It’s something that I think about a lot. So, what I’ve realized — especially traveling to the UK and other parts of the world, and with the US obviously having so many sanghs¹⁴, and especially spending time with YJA, as well — is that I’ve seen there is this actual, real, great interest in spirituality amongst the youth. I think as youth, especially with the way the world is now, we are looking for something that helps us make sense of the world and make sense of our place in it. Everyone has this inclination towards spirituality. I think what we’ve been missing, many times, is that link — what spirituality actually means for me in my day-to-day life and in my practical life, in a way that we understand it. I think Jainism has done a good job — Jainism in the sense of our community and our elders — [at] giving us the right vocabulary and that kind of high-level understanding.

I think what we’re now missing is: “How do I bring that spirituality into my day-to-day decisions; into my decision-making? How does it actually make me better at the things that I am? If I am a student, how does it make me better as a student? If I am an employee, how does it make me a better employee?” For any role that we play in this life, how does spirituality — how does Jainism — actually enhance that? I think it’s that messaging which we really want to continue to spread. Many people will say, “I’m really into charity work. Well, is that Jain? Can I still be spiritual and do all this, or do I have to just leave everything to be spiritual? ” I think that’s maybe the way we’ve described spirituality in the past, but I think that’s the wrong message.

[The right message] is: how can my spirituality actually also make me a better philanthropist? How does it actually make me better at the things that I like to do and the things that I’m passionate about? I know YJA and YJUK have already done a lot of good work in that direction. I think it’s just that over time we want to bring our sanghs — their focus and their direction in this — to be aligned. We want to bring, even in India, [even] the Jain leaders in India — Sadhus, Sadhvis, Acharya Bhagwans¹⁵ — we want to bring them to also have that similar messaging.

And so there’s a lot of work to be done, but I think this is the time. It’s the right time to do it.

Nishi Shah: Thanks, Rishi. That’s very insightful; definitely some great takeaway points here. Many us know you played a really key role in bringing the Jain Alert Group to the USA — could you start by telling our audience a bit about what the group is, and how its principles and practices can be applied to our respective organizations to help young Jains both in America and the UK grow spiritually?

Rishi Zaveri: Absolutely. The Jain Alert group was first founded in India about 45 years ago by my guru’s guru, or my Dada Guru, Acharya [Shri] HemRatna Suri Maharaj Saheb.

The reason he founded it [was because] at that time, there had been a big market crash. A lot of Jains, and especially Jain Youth, lost a lot of money at that time in India. So, they were suffering with a lot of depression and anxieties and all sorts of things, and many youth were actually committing suicide at that time. And so, Gurudev¹⁶ realized that this shouldn’t happen. As a Jain community, we should be able to support [these youth] and we should be able to give these youth a good direction in life even when they have to face certain challenges like these [which] happen pretty commonly.

Now we started right after COVID, or during COVID, in the US. The main work that we do currently is any Jain Youth who travel, right? They come [or] move from India to the US or to the UK or Australia, or maybe, let’s say, somebody from the UK shifts to the US or somebody from Australia shifts to the UK.

Jain youth — we’re always looking for community: people who can help us, who understand our background, who understand the kind of the things that we’re looking for. But, sometimes either we don’t do enough research or we just don’t know where to find that. Jain Alert Group provides that resource — we hold their hand, we connect with them, we keep them in the fold. But, we don’t want us to stop there. Jain Alert Group also tries to help enhance them spiritually. We also know that when I am working or when I’m kind of just figuring out [on] how to settle in a new country, if someone is to come and just say, “Hey, you should also start doing all these religious practices or these spiritual practices,” I’m not going to have the time or mental space to do any of that. So, we help them. The reason that we help them professionally and academically is so that when they do get settled — the faster they get settled — the faster they get more time, energy, and space to actually then work spiritually or on themselves.

We also try to show how even the little bit of spirituality that you already have can help you become a better student or a better employee or get a better job, even. We’ve had a lot of success stories with that as well. Our next goal really is what we talked about right in the previous question: now, how do we kind of get these youth, [of] so many different backgrounds and so many different experiences, all on the right spiritual path? That is especially gonna be a very, very big part of what Jain Alert Group does for many years to come.

Vidhi Piparia: Yeah, I think the focus of shared messaging — and that shared messaging being around spirituality — is definitely very inspiring. It’s something that we have had many conversations about in the past.

What does Jain branding kind of look like? And that Jain branding, catering to so many different experiences, people, individuals, and organizations, is hard to come to one consensus on. So having something so stable like spirituality that guides everyone’s experiences, [and making that] the focal point, is something I’m a fan of.

Lovely. Rishi, thank you so much for sharing your time with us today, especially on such a special day like your last day in the States before you leave for India.

To everyone listening to this podcast, if you have the chance and can make it out to witness Rishi’s Diksha, it’s happening on June 8th in Shahpur, India, right outside of Mumbai, and it’s an incredible opportunity to see Jain values come to life.

For more details, feel free to reach out to us.

Nishi Shah: Before we wrap up for tonight, we just want to take a moment to acknowledge how special this episode really is. This marks the very first collaboration between Young Jains of America (YJA) and Young Jains of the United Kingdom (YJUK), and it really wouldn’t have happened without you, Rishi.

So thank you very much again. His journey and vision have brought our two communities together across continents, reminding us that Jain values truly transcend borders. We hope this sets the stage for many more global conversations, connections, and collaborations in the future.

Thank you again, Rishi, for being that bridge. To everyone listening, thank you for being part of this shared moment. Jai Jinendra, and we’ll see you next time.

Rishi Zaveri: Thank you. I want to add one thing. I’m very glad to see this collaboration, and like you said, I hope it grows from here on.

I [also] do want all the youth — or anybody watching this — to know that at any point in the future, if you have any questions or need any guidance, even after my Diksha, I will be more than happy to be there to answer questions or [help in] whatever way I can, to the best of my ability.

And so, this is not the final time. I do hope that this can be the beginning of this connection; of this conversation. At any point, through YJA or YJUK, I’m sure people will be connected with me or know where I am or what I’m doing. So, if anyone is in India at any time and wants to spend some time [with me], I highly, highly encourage it — and it’ll be good to hear somebody speak in my accent ,as well.

Vidhi Piparia: Wonderful. Thank you so much, Rishi.

Rishi Zaveri: Thank you, guys.

Vidhi Piparia: And that brings us to the end of this special two-part series with Mumukshu Rishi Zaveri. From personal reflections to global connections, this conversation reminded us that Jain values can guide us wherever we are in the world, and whatever path we’re on. Thank you again, Rishi, for sharing your journey with us, and to everyone listening, we hope this sparks something meaningful in you too. Let’s keep these conversations going and until next time, Jai Jinendra!

—

Glossary

¹Sadhu / Sadhu Bhagwan — a Jain monk who has taken the vow of Diksha. The addendum of “Bhagwan” indicates respect in this context

²Pathshala — religious classes, for adults or youth

³Puja — an act of worship that involves specific rituals

⁴Bhagwan — a reference to one who has conquered their inner passions and whose soul has escaped the cycle of birth and death, i.e., Siddha Bhagwan. Day-to-day, Bhagwan is often used in reference to the 24 Tirthankars, who were the 24 spiritual teachers who re-established the four-fold Jain Sangh during their lifetimes before attained liberation

⁵Prabhu — a term used in reference to the 24 Tirthankars

⁶Pratikraman — a ritual that focuses on the 6 Avashyaks, or essentials activities, to help promote self-reflection

⁷Samvatsari — the annual day of forgiveness that concludes the eight-day festival of Paryushan

⁸Kausaggs — religious practice that involves turning focus inwards, towards the soul

⁹Niyam — a vow, or practice of restraint

¹⁰Navkars — short for Navkar Mantra, a prayer that salutes five types of supreme beings

¹¹Sutras — scriptures

¹²Maharaj Saheb — a Jain ascetic who has taken the vow of Diksha.

¹³Diksha — vow of asceticism in which one takes the Panch Mahavrat, or five great vows, and gives up their world life and attachments (material, relational, etc.) in favor of pursuing spiritual progress

¹⁴Sanghs — Jain communities

¹⁵Acharya Bhagwans — one of the Panch Parmesthi (five supreme beings) and a spiritual head of the Jain congregation

¹⁶Gurudev — in this case, a reference to Rishi’s Dada Guru, Yuva Hriday Samrath Acharya Shri HemRatna Suri MS; generally a respectful and devotional term for one’s guru

A Conversation with Mumukshu Rishi Zaveri | Part 2 was originally published in Young Minds on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Joined by cohosts Vidhi Piparia (Director of Publications, Young Jains of America) and Nishi Shah (President, Young Jains of the United Kingdom), Mumukshu Rishi Zaveri (now P.P. Rushi HemVijayji Maharaj Saheb) shares his journey to Diksha¹. From small turning points to life-changing mentorship, hear how he gradually aligned his daily life with Jain principles — and how we can do the same. Listen to the episode here or read the full transcript below.

*Side conversation: Vidhi, Nishi, and Mumukshu Rishi Bhai talk about his departure from America for the Diksha preparations and ceremony, after which he will never leave India again.*

Vidhi Piparia: You’re flying out of Toronto, you said?

Rishi Zaveri: Yeah.

Vidhi Piparia: Nice.

Nishi Shah: I’m feeling… I’m feeling emotional for you, Rishi, even though I’m not [the one leaving]. It’s the final time you’re leaving your home.

Rishi Zaveri: Yeah, yeah. It was the last time at home; last time in the Detroit temple. Yeah. It’s gonna be… it’ll be emotional for me too.

*End of side conversation*

Vidhi Piparia: Hi everyone, and welcome to a special cross-continental episode brought to you by Young Jains of America (YJA) and the Young Jains of the United Kingdom (YJUK). I’m Vidhi Piparia, and I’m the Director of Publications for YJA this year.

Nishi Shah: Hi! I’m Nishi Shah, and I’m the President of Young Jains of UK. Today we are honored to be joined by Mumukshu Rishi Zaveri, whose personal and spiritual journey has inspired countless young Jains around the world.

Vidhi Piparia: Rishi really lived Jain philosophy in his own life, and along the way he’s become a thoughtful guide for others on the path. His perspective is honest, relatable, and deeply rooted.

Nishi Shah: We’ll be diving straight into questions from our community, exploring the roles of mentors and gurus, and talking about staying rooted in Jain values as young people living outside India.

Vidhi Piparia: To start us off, Rishi, do you want to go ahead and introduce yourself?

Rishi Zaveri: Very quickly — I was born in India, but I moved to the US when I was two and a half. I came straight to Detroit and I haven’t left since. I’ve spent the last 27–28 years in Michigan as part of the Jain Society of Greater Detroit. I did all my schooling here. I went to the University of Michigan, where I did my bachelor’s and then [my] master’s in computer science. I then started working for Salesforce — I first moved to Indianapolis and worked there for two years, and then after COVID I came back [to Michigan] and worked from home. I spent about six years working for Salesforce.

During that time is when my spiritual journey also started — during college. It has, in some ways, culminated — at least from the worldly-life point of view — and it’s culminating now with my Diksha, which is on June 8th, 2025, in about a month and a half, at Shahpur Manas Mandir, a Tirth² near Mumbai in India.

Vidhi Piparia: Thank you so much for joining us today, Rishi.

Rishi Zaveri: Thank you guys.

Vidhi Piparia: Great. Let’s jump right into the first segment. We asked our community what questions they had for you, and here are some of the questions that we pulled.

Nishi Shah: The first question is from Jigna in the UK. Jigna is wondering: what was the turning point, Rishi, that made you realize that you wanted to take Diksha, and how are you preparing yourself for this? Any tips for us to help us also tread toward the same path?

Rishi Zaveri: Yeah, so when it comes to a turning point, at least for myself, it’s somewhat hard to pinpoint a specific time where maybe I might have switched. But if I kind of go high level, my entire journey toward Diksha — the specific point was really the summer after my first year of college in 2013 when I was, through my uncle, introduced to Jain Sadhus³ for the first time.

And the elder Sadhu I met at that time was the one who ended up becoming my guru. That was not the intention when I first met him; nobody expected that to happen. But, that’s where my journey really started. Staying connected with him, he helped me through many difficult times in my life as well and really gave me tips on how to live my life and a different perspective on how to live life. That over time, is what changed my perspective. Think about anybody who’s living life in a specific way — let’s say someone has an addiction or another problem. Even if we tell them for one or two years, it might take ten years before it clicks in their head that I do want to quit this or I do want to change my lifestyle. I think that’s what it was for me. It was these 10 to 12 years of this constant being exposed to that life, or to that lifestyle, and to that point of view; then, about a year and a half ago, is when it clicked in my head that this is the path that I also want to take.

Vidhi Piparia: Thanks for sharing. Another anonymous question that many of us may relate to is: how can we actually apply Jainism in our everyday lives whether that be at school, at work, or at home? Rishi, given the intense study that you’ve decided to commit to, how has the practice of studying or reading for multiple, multiple hours a day helped you stay grounded and present in your daily life?

Rishi Zaveri: When it comes to the application of Jain principles, I think there are two main steps. First is to know [them]. What studying really helps me do — what studying really achieves — is that for each of these principles we might believe in, we can understand the different [layers]. We talk about Ahimsa, we talk about Anekantvad⁴, Aparigraha⁵, right; we talk about the five great vows. But, what study helps me do is actually figure out the nuances in that — what does it actually mean? When we talk about non-violence, are we just talking about physical non-violence, or are we talking about mental violence as well? Are we talking about just violence to others; what about violence to the self? I think the more I study, the more it broadens my ability to understand those concepts in the world overall. So that first step is to even know what those principles are broadly, to understand the nuances, and to [see] the kind of priorities [within them].

One example I like to give [for] is non-violence: let’s say you have birds in a field and someone throws rocks at them to make them fly away — is that violence? It could be if he’s doing it just to disturb them, but if he knows a hunter is nearby trying to kill those birds, then when he’s throwing those rocks, he’s actually saving their lives. And so that same action, depending on that context, has two different [implications] — one is Himsa⁶, one is Ahimsa⁶. So, that exact thing is to know what those nuances are, what the context is of all those things and then, which context then takes priority — that’s what studying does. And then the next step is to actually apply those, those concepts in our day-to-day lives. And I’m a big proponent of, like, small changes, because that’s what it was for me. It was really tiny changes: Okay, this is how I normally react to a situation. Let me just take one subset of these situations and try to react differently. Maybe the easier situations at first.

I used to have an anger issue. I know the things that make me angry. Let me take one of those minor things that make me angry [and] let me see…I know Anekantvad, so I know maybe I have to think from the other person’s point of view. Let me try to apply that just in this situation. Maybe [in] the other situations I still lose my head, but here, let me try it.

Then, that small, gradual change — it’s working. Let me try [it] somewhere else. And, I think that’s how we really should think about it when it comes to diet, when it comes to lifestyle, when it comes [to everything].

Jainism — how to apply it in our, at work, in our career — I think, is all about how do we react or interact. [That] is where Jainism principles come to life in all of our, other [situations and] areas of life.

That’s why I always like to say, Jainism is not like a separate piece of our life, right? Spirituality is not a piece of our life. It is actually the framework of how we live life.

Vidhi Piparia: It seems like intentionality is a big part of staying present and being in the moment. So, my follow-up question to that would just be around, how do you ensure that you are able to stay in the present and be completely focused for such an extended period of time without your mind wandering? What are some strategies our audience can use whether that be at school, work, or at home to make sure that your mind doesn’t wander?

Rishi Zaveri: That’s a very good question, because I don’t know necessarily if our goal is just not to make our mind wander. Because many times we can’t — we may not have control over that. I think what is more important is how we react when we realize that our mind is wandering. Because I personally… I mean, I still struggle with that. Just because I’m taking Diksha doesn’t mean that I’ve conquered my mind at all.

But what I do do is: okay, my mind has wandered. I recognize [that]. Do I just let it continue once I’ve recognized it? Or am I able to bring it back? In the sense of [asking], why did it wander? I remind myself, I’m doing something, I know the purpose of what I’m doing. So if it’s wandering, it’s going against my purpose. I need to bring it back. And so knowing, understanding that purpose of what you’re doing — I think that will help you at least bring your mind back when it wanders. Otherwise, if you don’t know why you’re doing what you’re doing, then if it’s going to wander, you’re going to let it wander, because you’re not necessarily going to have any reason to bring it back.

So I think that’s the main thing we need to focus on. If we’re doing something at each point of our life — whatever it is — if I’m working, well, my purpose is to work because this is the contract I have with my employer. If my mind wanders from there, I have to bring it back because that’s what I have to achieve today. If I’m with my family, I’m talking with my family, and then I get a text message and now I’m scrolling through Instagram, no, I need to bring it back. Why? Because that’s my purpose today, and I have to spend that time with my family. So just knowing the purpose of what you’re doing — the intention of what you’re doing right now — that’s more important.

Nishi Shah: Something that stands out about your journey is the pivotal role of your guru. Many of us don’t have access to a guru in the traditional sense. What qualities should we look for in teachers or mentors — whether scholars, family members, or someone online?

Rishi Zaveri: The main thing is someone who practices what they preach. We can’t look for perfection, but we can look for intention and direction. They should self-reflect, accept their flaws, and be growing. Second, look for a personal connection. You need to feel that they understand you and can meet you where you are. They don’t need a similar background or to speak like you. What matters is empathy and the ability to guide you from where you stand.

Vidhi Piparia: Bringing it back a little bit more to your journey, how did your relationship with your guru shape your personal spiritual path, and were there any specific moments or teachings that changed how you approached life and how you interacted with your guru?

Rishi Zaveri: For me, the biggest thing about my guru that really helped me is just his actions and the way he kind of interacted with the world and the people around him. And I know I, in a way, I fell in love with him because of that.

My guru — and, if you’re asking about my relationship with him — it’s really one where he kind of fills every kind of relationship [need] that one could have. So for me, he is like a mother in that he’s caring from that point of view. He’s like a father from the point of view that he can be strict when he needs to. He’s a friend in the sense that he listens completely open-mindedly and without judgment — like a brother — and all of those things.

Every single kind of relationship that we need in our lives, because each person brings something special … my guru fulfills a lot of those. But, when it comes to actually changing my life and how I was able to transform it through his guidance — well, I see it in his actions.

Like I said, I used to have this anger issue. And I’ve seen specific instances where people come to him, maybe speak in a rude way with him, or not do what he says — all those things. The same situations would’ve made me extremely angry. Seeing those things happen to him also made me angry, right? But, I would see that he wouldn’t get angry.

I think that seeing that — seeing that actual ability, that potential — was what gave me the confidence that, no, this is possible. Many times we talk about being detached and all those things, but we never meet someone who actually is that detached. So, we kind of feel that this is maybe some sort of theoretical reality that maybe doesn’t exist. But when you see that in practice and see someone actually putting that into reality, I think that’s what it was for me with him.

There are specific things that he’s told me, as well. I say this phrase all the time: “Increase your virtues, decrease your faults.” I know it’s somewhat of a catchphrase at this point, but really that’s what he taught me directly. It’s the framework and the way that I make my decisions, for the most part, because the more I dove into that piece of advice, the more I gained from it. I’ve seen the effects of it in my life — it’s helped me make better choices or avoid what might have been a disaster.

Nishi Shah: That’s great, Rishi. Thank you for sharing those insightful thoughts on your guru; it’s really great and I have a lot of notes from that. Another question: how can young Jains today begin cultivating meaningful spiritual mentorship even from afar?

Rishi Zaveri: Mm-hmm. So, when it comes to maybe finding a guru in a Sadhu, at least, there’s now a lot of ability to reach out to them remotely — to connect with them remotely. And maybe, as youth, we may not have those connections directly, but maybe through the Sangh, maybe through our elders, we can connect.

For those who do go to India or have the ability to go to India, I think that would be a good step. For those who may not have those relationships in India or that connection to India anymore, I think it’s important to just find that person [where] you can start somewhere. Find that one person who you think, okay, this person would be able to help me, right? They’ve achieved something that I’m looking for.

For example, let’s say I find that I’m not able to maybe control my senses that well, and I see someone who is more able to control them. Or I’m finding I’m not able to control my emotion[al] stability, and I know this person has achieved that or has gone through that process. Pick them. Start from them, and try to learn from them. Try to observe them — what do they do? What exactly is helping them achieve that? Talk with them, get advice from them, and then move on.

You don’t need to stick with one person for life. For Diksha and things like that, that’s a different story. But, when we’re still growing, when we’re still exploring, you start somewhere. It’s almost like stepping stones, or stairs. You start with someone, you get what you can from that person, and then now maybe now you step to the person who’s a little bit more spiritually attained, and then you learn from them, and you keep moving up.

Hopefully, at some point you do get to attach yourself with a Sadhu Bhagwan³, a Panch Mahavrat Dhari⁷. But, we don’t need to start from there.

Nishi Shah: Thanks, Rishi. That was great, and hopefully many of us can cultivate meaningful mentorship with people who can teach us.

Vidhi Piparia: That’s it for part one of our conversation with Rishi Zaveri. In part two, we’ll dive into staying grounded as young Jains abroad and building a global Jain community. Check back soon for the next episode. Until next time, Jai Jinendra!

—

Glossary

¹Diksha — vow of asceticism in which one takes the Panch Mahavrat, or five great vows, and gives up their world life and attachments (material, relational, etc.) in favor of pursuing spiritual progress

²Tirth — significant pilgrimage site

³Sadhu / Sadhu Bhagwan — a Jain monk who has taken Diksha. The addendum of “Bhagwan” indicates respect in this context

⁴Anektantavad — multiplicity of viewpoints or non-absolutism

⁵Aparigraha — non-possessiveness

⁶Ahimsa — non-violence; opposite of Himsa, which means violence

⁷Panch Mahavrat Dhari — someone who has taken on the Panch Mahavrat, or five great vows (non-violence, non-lying, non-stealing, celibacy, non-possessiveness)

A Conversation with Mumukshu Rishi Zaveri | Part 1 was originally published in Young Minds on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In this Humans of YJA+ Fireside Chat, Shelly Goel (@shellygoel) sits down with Priyanka Shah, founder of Pinki’s Palate, to explore her journey toward mindful, intentional living. Read the full conversation to learn how her path blends advocacy, creativity, and Ahimsa, and check out the full fireside chat here.

“I started to question how the dairy industry was treating these five-sense living beings; these cows.”

Shelly Goel: Hi everyone. I’m Shelly Goel, and I’m so excited to welcome you to this Humans of YJA+ Fireside Chat. While Humans of YJA has focused on spotlighting young voices within our community, Humans of YJA+ expands that lens to include individuals and organizations who embody Jain values in their work and lives.

Through these conversations, we hope to explore how our values show up in many different spaces professionally, spiritually, and personally. Today I am so honored to be joined by Priyanka Shah, a former West Regional Coordinator for Young Jains of America, a practicing PA, and the creator behind Pinki’s Palate. From her work in medicine to the way she shares Jain-inspired plant-based recipes, Priyanka brings a very thoughtful and intentional approach to everything she does. Thank you so much for being here with us today, Priyanka.

Priyanka Shah: Thanks for having me!

Priyanka’s Journey to Veganism

Shelly Goel: I know traditionally many Jains tend to follow a lacto-vegetarian diet, which means there is the consumption of dairy still within our diets. And, historically, traditionally that’s kind of what we have learned. But now there’s a huge global shift, in terms of going vegan. And we’ve also kind of seen this in our YJA community as well. For instance, I just attended West Retreat in which our food was not only fully Jain, but it was also fully vegan.

The 2024 [YJA] Convention also had fully Jain and vegan food. So, we’re seeing this pop up and it’s super exciting. I wanted to ask you specifically, I know you grew up eating Jain, but this is also a shift that you personally decided to take, where you decided to incorporate not only Jain recipes, but also include veganism in that conversation, as well.

So, what really inspired that change, and what advice would you give to people who are also trying to be more Jain and more vegan friendly?

Priyanka Shah: Yeah, definitely. I’d say that as I was on this food blogging journey and doing a lot of research about the food industry and where food comes from, I really started to question and learn a little bit more about the dairy industry. I realized there was so much I didn’t know, and I had never taken the time to learn about it.

I think a lot of us, in our community and among people who are vegan-curious in general, have that as an aspiration. But, there’s still this element of cognitive dissonance that can be really challenging. I went through that myself, where I knew there was probably something not right about it, but I hadn’t taken the step to really educate myself.

When I did, it created an internal shift for me. As somebody who grew up eating a very strict Jain diet, learning that we try to avoid even one-sensed living beings, microorganisms in these root vegetables, I started to question how the dairy industry was treating five-sensed living beings, these cows. It just didn’t make sense to be ignorant of the cruelty and suffering they go through, especially in the time we live in now.

I think that made the biggest shift for me and planted the seed that I wanted to go vegan. For me personally, and I think for a lot of people, sustainable changes take time. It’s not always going to be overnight. Sometimes taking that time actually builds confidence and allows you to really incorporate it into your lifestyle as a practice.

Veganism isn’t just about food. Just like in Jainism, it applies to so many more things, including the way we interact with our environment and the people around us. For me, it took about a year to make the complete shift. I started one item at a time, substituting milk for soy milk or almond milk, and then next was yogurt.

Going item by item was a way I could keep my lifestyle intact, in the sense that the recipes I like, the foods I enjoy, and [in] the way I interact with people at dinner parties or lunches. It allowed me to create the same recipes but in a vegan form. I’d say that was the way I made a sustainable change.

Shelly Goel: Yeah. I really love your point about how it’s not something that just happens overnight. For me personally, as well, I was inspired by similar things. I had friends who had gone vegan, and I saw a bunch of documentaries about the violence in the dairy industry that just didn’t sit well.

It really was also a shift that didn’t happen overnight. First I replaced milk, then I asked myself if I could replace ghee, and then cheese was another thing. Taking incremental steps and having the support of friends, family, and other communities really helps.

It’s not an all-or-nothing shift. It’s more about how we can be intentional about practicing Ahimsa¹ in whatever form that might be, whether it’s food or other practices. Hearing your journey and how you went step-by-step to approach and achieve that is really cool.

Priyanka Shah: Yeah, absolutely.

Family and Community Reactions

Shelly Goel: Priyanka, I’d love to hear more about what your family’s reaction or broader community’s reaction was when you first decided to go vegan. I know that within our culture there are a lot of practices that still involve dairy. From your perspective, did you find it challenging to communicate your shift to not only eating Jain but also eating vegan, and to explain that to your broader community?

As a follow-up, for someone who is thinking about making this shift, how would you advise that they explain their transition to eating Jain or eating vegan to people who may not necessarily understand that perspective?

Priyanka Shah: When I went vegan, I had just moved back home from grad school, and my family did have a tough time adjusting. My mom loves to cook, and she has always fed us delicious meals growing up. Showing her ways we could easily substitute certain ingredients in the dishes she normally makes was my approach to integrating that, since we still ate as a family. I think for a long time they didn’t really know how to do it themselves, so being an advocate in that way helped. If we were making mutter paneer, I’d bring home a block of tofu and say, let’s use this instead of paneer.

Sometimes they would make mine separately. I’m still the only vegan in my family, but I think I’ve inspired them to be more open-minded toward vegan recipes and substitutions. Everybody has their own journey, and as a Jain and someone who has gone through that journey myself, it’s important to recognize that not everybody is going to understand, and everyone has their own perspective on it. Being respectful both ways is really important.

With my friends, whenever I’d go to a dinner party that someone was hosting, most were pretty accommodating, and I’ve been really lucky with that. If it was a potluck, I’d bring a vegan dish so I know there was something I could eat. They’re always thoughtful and ask, “What can I make,” or “Can you send me a recipe you like?” I really appreciate that.

Now that I’m married, with my in-laws and my in-laws’ family, there are many different dietary practices. Not everyone in the family is vegetarian, some people are gluten-free, and I’m vegan. Luckily, they were used to making accommodations for different people, and they’ve been really sweet and open-minded toward my practices. If we’re having a pizza night, they’ll have my vegan cheese there, or if it’s a party, they’ll bring a separate vegan cake sometimes, which I think is really sweet, though not expected at all. I appreciate that people are open-minded, accommodating, and respectful, and I think as long as we, as vegans, approach it respectfully, people reciprocate that.

Shelly Goel: I really like your emphasis on respect going in two directions. It’s incredible to have a community of people around us who support that. When I went vegan, I had that conversation with my parents. They were supportive, but figuring out how to replace so many ingredients in our normal Indian cooking, like ghee or milk, which have been used for so long, was a harder transition. Between my family and friends, they were excited about my journey, and that inspired me to keep taking more steps toward going vegan. At the same time, the conversation around what we choose to practice versus the people around us — there’s a lot of knowledge to share, but at the same time it’s important to understand and respect that everyone has their own perspectives. In a nutshell, as long as we’re being respectful of the people around us and we feel the support of our community, that in itself is a beautiful thing to have.

Priyanka Shah: Absolutely. For me, when I approach veganism, I use food as my form of activism. I think it’s a very kind and peaceful way to introduce someone to the lifestyle and to share that it doesn’t have to taste that different. It’s not that you’re missing something; there are other ways to create something enjoyable that don’t include the suffering of any living beings.

Shelly Goel: I love making chai for friends. Initially, it was more milk-based, and as I went vegan, I started incorporating oat and soy milk. My friends were honestly super excited about that. It came from a place of “This is something we haven’t had before! This is new!” I think vegan recipes in general have so much room for creativity. I’d love to hear more about that. I know the Jain and vegan diet might seem restrictive or limiting to some people, but I’m curious about your take. In a lot of your recipes, you’re really creative, taking some more traditional recipes and putting your own spin on it. Going vegan has been exciting for me because I’m trying more new recipes than I might have otherwise. How do you approach the recipes you make and, in a broader sense, the creativity behind following both a Jain and vegan diet?

Priyanka Shah: I think it’s easy to fall into the mindset that when you change your diet or lifestyle, something is missing; that you’ve taken something out. I tried to shift my mindset when I was approaching vegan cooking and my transition to veganism and look at it through the lens of abundance. There are so many vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, and everything we can use to create something new. Like you said, the novelty of having something you haven’t had before is exciting to people, whether they’re vegan or not. Using that abundance mindset and starting from scratch a little, I think about foods I loved growing up and find easy swaps to make them vegan. As an Indian-American born and raised here, there are flavors and foods that are core to me from being both American and Indian. Blending different cuisines and creating fusion recipes has been a really fun way of bringing that novelty.

Building Pinki’s Palate

Shelly Goel: So, Pinki’s Palate first originated as a personal project, and since then this community has really grown. It’s a global community now. What started off as recipes you were posting has become almost like a lifestyle. I’m curious to hear what that journey has meant for you and what surprising or significant milestones you’ve felt that you achieved during that process.

Priyanka Shah: I’d say one of the most exciting things to come out of building this brand is when people message me to share that they’ve made a recipe I posted, or how the recipes or content I’ve shared has impacted them on their journey.

It makes me feel like it’s come full circle, like this is actually working. When you post something on social media, people are watching, but you never really know what the impact is. So, I love receiving that feedback. In recent years, some exciting opportunities have come up. I got to be part of a couple of documentaries, which was really fun, to share the Jain and vegan diet with people outside our community and bring more advocacy and knowledge. I was part of Topic.com’s eating series, where they featured different types of diets from people around the country, as well as Pearson Education’s segment on Jainism in their textbook series. That was really fun.

I think one of the most exciting things is when I’m out in the community or traveling and people come up to me like, “Are you Pinki’s Palate?” I’m like, “Wow, you actually know me!” It’s always really fun to get recognized. I’m nowhere near the growth I’d love to be at, but it’s a journey. I want to grow, but I also want it to stay authentic. Like you said, authenticity comes when you’re creating content you really believe in.

Even in influencer culture, with so much product promotion and overconsumption, it’s not something I’ve bought into, because I feel like it would take away from my purpose. With the partnerships I’ve had, I focus on ones I truly believe in, where I share an ethos with the company or product, and where it could benefit my viewers and the people who follow me.

Shelly Goel: Yeah. I love that even when the platform feels so vast, what’s most significant to you are those individual interactions you’re having with people. It’s such a cool way to see your impact, both in the social media space and in one-on-one interactions. I think it’s incredibly inspiring to the community you’ve kickstarted, and it spreads. When one person is inspired to go vegan, they talk to their communities, and you’re building a beautiful community overall. Through all of this, seeing that you’re maintaining authenticity as your life has evolved with Pinki’s Palate — not only the blog’s journey, but in your personal journey too — is super inspiring.

Priyanka Shah: Thanks.

Shelly Goel: I know many of us are in a stage of life where we’re meeting people and dating, and food plays a big part, especially with dietary choices. For you, you grew up Jain and then went vegan. I’m curious if your partner also grew up eating Jain or was vegan, or if not, what was that transition like? What were those conversations like? What challenges came up? And more broadly, how did your partner’s family and your family react?

Priyanka Shah: For a long time in my twenties, I thought I needed to find someone exactly the same as me, following a Jain diet and having grown up Jain. I realized through those relationships that’s not what makes you compatible. Having a foundation based on mutual respect is probably the most important.

Even if you come from different countries and upbringings, and most of us do, nobody, even in the Jain community, is going to have the exact same upbringing and practices at home. As I learned that, I became more open-minded and realized I needed to find somebody that had that mutual respect and understanding, with being supportive of each other as the primary focus.

My partner is not vegan and not Jain. He grew up Hindu. When we first started dating, we had a lot of good conversations about my lifestyle practice. He knew how much cooking and Pinki’s Palate meant to me, and how important my Jain and vegan lifestyle has been. He was curious, which I appreciated, and he wanted to learn more. Now that we’re married and living together, that understanding is our foundation. Most of the time we’re cooking and eating together.

A lot of the time we’re cooking and eating vegan at home. He is vegetarian, which makes it a bit easier. If we’re making something like pizza and he wants cheese, we just use our two separate cheeses. He’s been really flexible, which I really appreciate.

I’d advise anyone in that phase of life to make sure you have mutual understanding and to advocate for what matters most to you. For me, this was a core principle. He understood that, and he’s been really respectful of it.

Vegan and Jain Wedding Planning

Shelly Goel: You recently hit a huge milestone, you got married — congrats on that! I also heard your wedding was 100% Jain and vegan, which is incredible at such a large scale. We’d love to hear about it. What was that process like? From the beginning, did you know you wanted to do that? What were those conversations like with your partner and your families? And in general, what did the planning process look like? I’m sure it was a lot of work and that there were challenges along the way too. We’d love to hear how that journey was for you.

Priyanka Shah: Thanks for asking — this is a big topic I’ve been wanting to talk about! I got married last year. Our wedding was in India, in Rajasthan. Initially, I thought Jain food would be super easy to make in India, but I didn’t realize how hard vegan food is in India. While we have so many vegan alternatives here, it’s still up and coming there. That definitely presented a challenge. Before we even decided where we were going to get married, I discussed with my husband how important this was for me. This felt like my one opportunity to go beyond sharing recipes online and actually let people experience it firsthand, especially people who had probably never had vegan food in their lives.

We had multiple generations of family at our wedding. It was a really special opportunity for me and one of the biggest events I’ll ever have. I felt like it was the one chance I’d get to do something like this. We had about 200 guests over three days, and if you count three meals a day, that’s about 1,800 meals where you can reduce harm to any living being and open people’s eyes to what vegan food can be. There’s creativity and taste, all while keeping it Jain, too. My husband was really supportive of that, which I was grateful for, because I think the first thing you need with any aspect of wedding planning is to be on the same page as your partner.

When we presented it to our parents, it was a bit challenging. I think their vision was that we could have a vegan station or a vegan table. I thought “Well, I’m also getting married, so I want to be able to eat everything at my wedding!” I shared my reasoning and how this was that one opportunity in my life to have a large impact and share vegan food with so many people. It took some time and a lot of advocacy from me, along with the guarantee that as long as the food is good, nobody is going to mind. If it tastes good, everybody will enjoy it.

The next hard part was finding a caterer who was willing to do a fully Jain, fully vegan menu. At weddings in India there are so many dishes; it’s wild how many things we had on our menu. A lot of caterers in India are used to doing Jain weddings, and the fully Jain cooking there is amazing. But, very few have gone vegan, and of those, very few have done both vegan and Jain together for a full spread. We had hundreds of dishes throughout the event. I pitched to the caterers and advocated that this would be great for their business. I went through their usual menus, suggested modifications, gave them a list of substitutions to make recipes vegan, and helped curate the menu alongside them to bring it to life.

We finally found a caterer, one of the top in the area, who agreed. Oh my gosh, this is the one time I wished I was a guest at my own wedding, because the food was absolutely amazing! I only wish I’d had more chances to eat more of it. A lot of our guests had no idea the food was vegan. Some knew I was vegan, but many of my extended family probably didn’t. Honestly, everyone raved about the food, and when they were told it was vegan, they were shocked. I think I accomplished my goal of opening people’s eyes to how delicious Jain, vegan cooking can be. It felt like my biggest milestone as someone in the food blogging and recipe curation space, to directly share this with people and change their perspective and minds on what vegan food can be.

Shelly Goel: I love that. A lot of times with weddings, it’s about the couple, but the conversation can shift to the broader family or community. I really appreciate how much you advocated for something so meaningful to you and the impact that created. You were talking about 1,800 meals, shared with people you and your partner love and cherish. Showing them what you practice day to day must have been inspiring. At the end of the day, if the food is good, it’s a great opportunity for guests to enjoy the wedding and also learn about something new. That’s super exciting.

I also love how closely you worked with the caterers, giving suggestions for new things they could try and how it could help their business. I’m thinking about what that has opened up for others who might want a Jain and vegan wedding but haven’t found a path yet, especially in India. You’re impacting countless future weddings and couples down the road because you kickstarted that conversation — not only through Pinki’s Palate and your blog, but also impacting local communities. That’s so inspiring to see. Again, congrats on your huge milestone. It’s so cool to see it play out so concretely.

Priyanka Shah: Thank you.

Living a Compassionate Lifestyle

Shelly Goel: Since it started, Pinki’s Palate has transformed from being mostly food and recipe-based to something that embodies compassionate living. I’d love to hear where you want to focus now, maybe even beyond the Jain and vegan diet. In day-to-day life, what practices do you like to incorporate? How do you practice mindfulness? Do you have advice for how we can bring those elements into our lives beyond diet?

Priyanka Shah: I like to say that compassionate living is very much mindfulness in a whole sense. With any practice during the day, any routine, whether you’re grocery shopping, prepping a meal, or brushing your teeth, being conscious of what we’re using and what we need is a way to implement compassion into any action.

When it comes to food, it’s not just about what you’re eating, but how you’re preparing it. Are you being mindful when you cut open a bell pepper and check that there isn’t an insect in it? These things become part of your lifestyle. I don’t need to consciously think about it every time now, but because it’s part of my lifestyle, I do pay attention.

Also, when it comes to purchasing things, we live in a society where we’re bombarded with ads and told we need things we may not. While I wouldn’t say I’m a minimalist, I’m really conscious about the things I purchase and the things I actually use and need, and I try to maintain that lifestyle.

Additionally, compassionate living is also about how we interact with people in our homes and around the world. Being compassionate in how we approach conflict or differences really affects how those conversations go and how we can live more peacefully. Between my husband and I, we try to embody that and think from the other person’s shoes, have that multiplicity of viewpoints, that Anekantavad principle in mind, whenever there is something we may have differing viewpoints about.

Other ways I embody compassionate living is in my hobbies and passions. I love to travel. I’ve had the opportunity to live abroad in three countries and really experience different cultures. I try to interact with locals, understand their culture, and approach it without judgment; just understanding where they come from and how that impacts their decisions and way of thinking. I think it makes us open-minded people in general when we explore different regions, people, practices, and cultures. I think we can approach with compassion when traveling and really taking time to understand people around us — not just going on vacation to go on vacation, but with that intention. Those are some ways I like to incorporate a compassionate lifestyle.

Shelly Goel: Hearing about going vegan or going Jain is a very concrete way of practicing Ahimsa, and it’s what many people think of first when they think about Jainism. A lot of people say, “Oh yeah, I’ve heard of the Jain diet before.” The way you live shows that while diet is one way to practice this, every interaction you have, how you’re communicating with other people, and the hobbies you’re doing — you approach things with such intentionality and care. That in of itself is a good reminder for all of us that there are so many ways to practice Ahimsa, Aparigraha², Anekantavad. It’s a matter of being intentional; being mindful of how we treat the people — the souls — around us in a broader sense. It’s fascinating to hear how you approach that in the smallest daily activities and the larger ones, and the impact those actions can have.

Priyanka Shah: Yeah, absolutely.

Future Plans and Advice

Shelly Goel: So, what’s next for Pinki’s Palate? Do you have any exciting projects or opportunities coming up? And in general, what advice would you give to our broader YJA community?

Priyanka Shah: There are some really exciting things coming up. I won’t say yet, but stay tuned. One of my longstanding dreams for Pinki’s Palate has always been to write a cookbook. It’s still on the back burner, but it’s something I’m thinking about. I’d love to have something physical that people can hold in their hands and be able to share more recipes, and also how to incorporate mindful activities into day-to-day life with those recipes.

I’d say my advice for anyone in the YJA community who is interested in pursuing a creative endeavor is to jump right in. Don’t feel like you have to have a certain number of followers or be on a certain platform to be able to make an impact. Even if you influence just one person with whatever you’re passionate about and advocating for, it makes a huge difference, and things ripple.

This journey started with posting really poorly plated but delicious recipes on Facebook, and it has grown and expanded. As your journey evolves, so will your creative endeavor, and you’ll be able to take people along that journey, which is the most special way to connect.

Shelly Goel: Super excited for your cookbook. I’ll be following you and making sure I can pre-order that as soon as it’s available, and I’m very excited for all your opportunities ahead. Above all, I want to say a huge thank you for taking the time to talk with us today. Your journey is incredibly inspiring; getting to have this conversation and hear about all the ways you embrace a modern, compassionate lifestyle in everything you do, originating with Pinki’s Palate and going even further beyond that to how your large lifestyle resonates with so many people and the impact you’ve had on such a broad community. Again, thank you so much for being here and for having this conversation, and for inspiring all of us.

Priyanka Shah: Thanks so much for having me. This was really special.

—

Glossary

¹Ahimsa — non-violence; opposite of Himsa, which means violence

²Aparigraha — non-possessiveness

The thoughts and opinions expressed in each post belong solely to the individual highlighted in the story. YJA does not endorse any of these viewpoints, but is simply using this project as a platform to showcase the diverse experiences of the youth in our community.

Do you think you or someone has a story to share with our community? We would love to hear it! Fill out this form to nominate a candidate who may be showcased in a future Humans of YJA post.

Priyanka Shah was originally published in Young Minds on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

*Pen name used for anonymity

Trigger warning: This story contains mentions of mental health struggles, including suicide, suicidal ideation, and self-harm. If you are struggling or in crisis, you can call or text 988, or dial 911 for immediate help.

“Ultimately, Jainism gave me a path to align with my values and saved my life by teaching me to live with non-violence and compassion, for others and for myself.”

Nearly three years ago, I went on a trip with the intention of ending my own life. This is the story of how radical acceptance and non-violence led me to Jainism, and how Jainism saved my life.

A little bit about me: I was raised in a Christian household with fundamentalist views. I’ve struggled with mental health since I was 12, and this was largely a result of the extreme views and principles I was raised with.

When I was 19, my Christian beliefs began to fall apart, and with them, my entire worldview. I had been raised to be the perfect Christian and was even planning to attend seminary — though in truth, it was a last-ditch effort to salvage my faith. I felt completely lost, and the combination of this inner turmoil with other personal challenges I was facing led me to a very dark place. So when my partner, two friends, and I planned a trip to a remote cabin in Colorado to reconnect with nature, I had already decided I wouldn’t be coming back.

The drive to the cabin was two hours of dirt roads through stunning scenery, more wildflowers than I had ever seen, dramatic vistas of mountains and cliffs… but I was overshadowed by darkness during the whole ride, fatigued from the years of pain that I was carrying. The second night of the trip was one of those nights where honesty came a little easier. I found it more possible to believe kindness from others. My mind opened just enough to let light from others in. This was not the first time I had reached out while dealing with suicidal thoughts, but in the past when I tried to do so, I was met with yelling, accusations of selfishness, or told that I was possessed by demons — I was never offered help.

That night was the first time I was offered something completely different. My friends presented me with non-violence in a radical and honest way that I had never witnessed before, which I would later realize would tie back to the three core principles of the Jainism: Ahimsa (non-violence), Anekantavad (non-absolutism), and Aparigraha (non-attachment).

They showed me Ahimsa by telling me that I didn’t deserve this pain, and that they would be there to show me the beauty in life no matter what happened.

They showed me Anekantavad by telling me that they would take on the responsibility of showing me why life is worth living when I couldn’t see it for myself, and by encouraging me to see things from a new vantage point.

They showed me Aparigraha by telling me that they would miss me dearly if I left, but that they would not blame me or believe that I was selfish. They would understand.

Non-violence had always been a value of mine, but I had struggled to extend it towards myself. The love that they showed me changed something in my brain and allowed me to believe that I, too, was deserving of non-violence.

After making it back from that trip, these three values continued to resonate within me, steeping in my mind, preparing to grow into something more. Fast forward a few months, the final block in the tower that was my faith in the Christian church was pulled out. The tower fell and I officially stepped away from Christianity and the god that I had devoted every waking minute to. Commonly, when people leave religious communities there is grief, a loss of connection, and a sense of loss that comes from losing the instruction manual to life that they had been using for so long. While I certainly felt some of those things, I primarily felt as though a weight had been lifted from my spiritual self. I found the freedom to search for and choose a belief that matched my values. So, I did — I searched. I wrote down my values: I knew that I believed every living thing had a soul, I was interested in learning about reincarnation, I cared deeply about minimizing the violence I inflicted on any other living thing, and finally, truthfulness and honoring others’ beliefs were very important to me.

At this point I had very little knowledge of Jainism; in fact, the only reference point that I had was from the TV show, Jane the Virgin. Nonetheless, the seeds that had been planted that night in the cabin had started to grow. Curious, I turned to the book Twelve Major World Religions, which was organized in decreasing order of followership. It started with Islam and trickled down to Sikhism and Taoism. Second to last, I finally read about Jainism. Immediately, I felt as though my values were being mirrored. I felt that threads of belief I had felt throughout my life were being recognized and celebrated. I felt as though, spiritually, I had found a home. I would ultimately discover the Young Jains of America (YJA) website, complete the online Pathshala courses, and use many JAINA resources to continue reading and learning about Jainism.

I didn’t know what steps to take to convert, but I knew that I wanted to. Jainism is not an easy religion to join — Jains don’t proselytize, and while that reflects a deep respect for other belief systems, it adds unique challenges to being a convert and leaves limited resources for those interested in learning more (something I hope to help change). When I first applied to be a Local Representative for YJA, I worried that I might not be able to represent the community fully as a convert who had no experiential knowledge of growing up Jain. When I shared these concerns with my Regional Coordinator, however, I was met with reassurance and acceptance. Since then, I have never been made to feel less-than for not knowing the texts, culture, or rituals from childhood, and I am deeply grateful for the sense of belonging I’ve found through YJA.

I say that I chose to become a Jain, but it was a choice in the same way putting a piece into a puzzle is a choice — sometimes, it just fits. I was already following a vegan diet, but I started meditating, observing holidays, and integrating Jainism into my way of life. The biggest change, however, was internal: I was learning to be nonviolent towards all beings, and largely, towards myself. I stopped harming myself and started to seek help when I needed it. I would repeat to myself the mantra “I deserve nonviolence, I treat myself with nonviolence” to overcome negative urges and thoughts. Since taking the lay vows, I have not attempted to end my life, and I truly believe that non-violence begets healing.

I’m grateful to my friends for the radical acceptance and compassion that they modeled for me, showing me what it meant to be truly nonviolent and opening the door for me to embrace those same principles in Jainism. I now hope that others who are struggling can find non-violence and hope within themselves.

To anyone who is struggling with suicidality or self harm, I want to remind you that you deserve non-violence and you are worth being treated with non-violence, even from yourself.

— #HumansofYJA, 18: Theo Jain*

The thoughts and opinions expressed in each post belong solely to the individual highlighted in the story. YJA does not endorse any of these viewpoints, but is simply using this project as a platform to showcase the diverse experiences of the youth in our community.

*Pen name used for anonymity

Do you think you or someone you know has a story to share with our community? We would love to hear it! Fill out this form to nominate a candidate who may be showcased in a future Humans of YJA post.

Theo Jain* was originally published in Young Minds on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

“How my multicultural roots led me to Jainism…”

A huge container of masa dough, my mom toasting poblano peppers on the stove, and my sister soaking corn husks while I cut small pieces of ribbon from the dried husks: this is how I remember Christmas. In Mexican tradition, families get together and make about a hundred tamales the night before Christmas, filling corn husk with masa, peppers, and cheese. Outside, snow piles high against the windows, a reminder of our Minnesota winters. My dad sets the music up and an old Bollywood song plays softly in the background. The scent of roasted chiles mingles with chai, and the whole scene — masa and masala, snow and spice.

I grew up in Minnesota in a predominantly white community. My dad is Kutchi and Jain; my mom is Mexican and Christian. Religion was never a focal point in our household — not because it wasn’t valued, but because my parents were thoughtful about how they introduced it. My dad always told us that we should learn a little bit about every religion so we had a broadened worldview.

While we didn’t grow up going to church or the Jain temple, our upbringing was defined by our way of living. We would go to panaderías to get sweet bread with my mom, and she would teach us the values she learned growing up in a Christian household. With my dad, we watched Bollywood movies and explored Indian cooking. And when my sister and I experimented with online recipes, he stressed the importance of being vegetarian. We learned the high-level concepts of Jainism, but also practiced them with small things like taking bugs outside, instead of killing them. Looking back, I realize my parents taught us the core values of their faiths — compassion, respect for all living beings, and self-discipline — without attaching labels that might have made things even more confusing for my sister and I.

Despite being involved in the Minnesota culture of outdoor sports — from hiking as a family, to rowing and running cross country in school — I still felt that I didn’t fully fit in. I didn’t celebrate the same holidays, eat the same food, or look the same as most of the people around me. Although I recognized and evoked some of the values of Christianity and Jainism, I never felt I knew enough to say I was either.

There was always a quiet question in the back of my mind: Where do I belong? I often felt like I wasn’t “enough” of anything — Indian, Hispanic, or Minnesotan.

It wasn’t until my sister and I stayed with our grandmother in Southern California, the summer before college began, that I truly saw Jainism lived out in a consistent, daily rhythm. She prayed every morning and night, didn’t eat after sundown, and walked carefully so she wouldn’t step on grass or harm insects. What struck me most was how she explained why she did these things: her words made Jainism practical. Her actions and intentions made sense to me, in a way that encouraged me to dive further into my own beliefs. For example, I was already vegetarian, but I researched more about Jains’ views on animal rights after that summer and became vegan.

My grandmother also kept small figurines representing all the major world religions on her windowsill. I thought that was beautiful — and enlightening. For the first time, I realized that my multicultural experience wasn’t something that set me apart from Jainism; rather, it strongly aligned with one of its core principles: Anekantavada, or the belief that no single perspective holds the entire truth.

She probably felt a lot more out of place coming from India to the U.S. than I did in Minnesota, but it didn’t pressure her to conform. Instead, she only embraced her roots more. She wore a sari everyday, proudly standing out, and I noticed it actually invited the opportunity for connection. Strangers would approach and compliment her, or ask where she was from. All of a sudden, I began to view my identity differently: I didn’t have to “fit in” to belong. In fact, I could lead with those differences and still connect with others. Seeing my grandma put Jain principles into action allowed me to reframe how I saw myself: from never being enough of anything, to being someone whose unique perspectives add an extra layer to my own practice of Jainism.

Years later, when I moved to California and attended my first Young Jains of America (YJA) Convention in Atlanta. I found myself surrounded by people from all over the country (and even India), many with different upbringings and beliefs. I was struck by everyone’s enthusiasm, from the attendees to the speakers, and even to the parent volunteers. We had debates, shared our perspectives, and uplifted one another. I felt so happy to finally be surrounded by a group of people who shared some of the same core beliefs as me. I am so inspired by the YJA community, and the tools and programs like JainGPT and Arihanta Institute that allow us to continually learn about our religion.

My experiences showed me that being Jain isn’t about a rigid set of qualifications or rules. I am sure there are other people, like me, who may have not grown up going to Pathasala, come from a different cultural background, or are learning more about Jainism later in life — and may also sometimes feel overwhelmed or out of place. To anyone who resonates, I would say: we should embrace our identity and allow it to strengthen our practice. After all, Jainism encourages multiple viewpoints, identities, and ways of life.

To me, Jainism is about choosing, every day, to live with intention, understand multiple viewpoints, and practice active non-violence.

— #HumansofYJA, 17: Anita Dharod

The thoughts and opinions expressed in each post belong solely to the individual highlighted in the story. YJA does not endorse any of these viewpoints, but is simply using this project as a platform to showcase the diverse experiences of the youth in our community.

Do you think you or someone you know has a story to share with our community? We would love to hear it! Fill out this form to nominate a candidate who may be showcased in a future Humans of YJA post.

Anita Dharod was originally published in Young Minds on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Originally Published: September 2023

Investing in the stock market has been somewhat of a controversial topic among the Jain community. In recent years, questions about the market and its impact on Jain values have only increased with more and more Jains choosing to work in the financial field. This is exemplified by the fact that 46% of stock brokers and financial advisors in India come from a Jain background. But is the stock market a good field for Jains to work and invest in? And are there ways for one to be truly Jain while still working as an investor? Like many questions, the answer depends, both on the type of work one does and the intention that one has.

Understanding the Stock Market

When we think of investing in the stock market, many of us have a vision of stockbrokers running around and fielding calls every second with huge screens displaying various forms of data. However, the truth is a little less exciting — the stock market refers to a marketplace where shares of publicly traded companies are bought and sold. In other words, partial ownership of companies can be bought and then sold in the form of stocks by individuals or institutions. Overtime, with the advancements in technology and the creation of online brokerages, the human stockbroker has given way to the computer. So what about investing in the stock market makes it controversial in the Jain community?

The Ethical Debate: Is Investing Jain?

First is the speculation that comes with investing in the stock market. As you may have guessed, figuring out which stocks to buy and sell is not an easy skill. There are numerous algorithms and strategies used in order to predict the tendencies of the market. But, no matter how good the algorithm or strategy is, the tendencies of the market can never be fully predicted. This naturally leads to speculation on which stocks are to go up and down, which stocks to buy or sell, and which stocks to short or not (shorting is when investors bet on the price of the stock falling, not rising). Speculation in the stock market is often driven by the desire to earn a profit from market fluctuations. Jains believe that attachment to material possessions can lead to desires and suffering. Engaging in speculative and short-term trading may contradict the principle of non-attachment, or Aparigraha, and can be viewed as a form of greed or excessive attachment to wealth. Even long-term investing can be viewed in the same light, which brings a question of what industries would be considered Jain or non-Jain to invest in.

Choosing where to invest is a whole new question on its own. The stock market allows investment into virtually any industry which can lead to investments in companies that are considered unethical from a Jain perspective. Investing in industries related to animal slaughter,
gambling, or the production of harmful substances like alcohol and tobacco can further harm that is perpetuated by these industries. However, this is ignored by most investors who view profitability as the only criteria for investing. This once again contradicts the principle of Aparigraha (non-attachment) as attachment to wealth can further the trading of these kinds of stocks.

Two Investors, Two Mindsets: A Case Study

However, the level of attachment present may be largely specific to the state of mind that people are in when trading. Consider two scenarios; both include investment advisors who are Jains. One person consistently works long hours and spends all their time thinking about how they can maximize the commission they earn by getting more client funds to invest. Over time, this person forgets their other obligations, such as going to the temple, engages in unethical practices to gain a competitive edge over fellow investment advisors, and invests in harmful industries to gain an even larger profit. In this situation, the commission earned from their client portfolio has taken over all parts of the person’s life and is their sole focus. They have developed attachment, or Räg, towards their job as an investment advisor. Räg is one of the 18 Päpasthanks, or sinful activities that impedes spiritual progress and leads to further pain in our current and future lives.

On the other hand, let’s consider a scenario with the other person. They work as an investment advisor, but spend a minimal amount of time at the office. Rather than thinking about the ways they can maximize and then spend their profit, this person chooses to budget out his or her life so that they earn the minimum amount needed to get by on a day-to-day basis. A large portion of the profits earned from their job goes towards various charities while only a small portion goes towards reivesting. Additionally, they choose which stocks to invest in after doing considerable research to ensure that they don’t engage in trade with harmful industries. We can see that this person does NOT harbor attachment towards their job and commission and chooses to spend their time on other things that allow themself to progress spiritually.

It all comes down to the type of person one chooses to be. Like any other field, there are certainly ways to engage in unethical practices as an investment advisor, but choosing to go in with the correct mindset is vital when working in such an impactful field. The stock market is inextricably linked with all industries and even people who don’t work in the stock market are connected to it via their investments and retirement plans. Therefore, everyone should be wary of decisions when choosing to invest.

Here are some ways the average investor can engage in ethical trading:

• Avoid Insider Trading: Insider trading involves using confidential information about a company to make stock trading decisions. This practice gives an unfair advantage to those with access to such information, while disadvantaging the general public. It’s important to rely on publicly available information for trading decisions and to treat all investors equally.
• Avoid Market Manipulation: We should refrain from engaging in activities that manipulate the market for personal gain. This includes practices like “pump and dump” schemes, where misleading information is spread to artificially inflate the price of a stock, only for the manipulator to sell their shares at the inflated price.

At the end of the day, the stock market should be used to set you up for
sustainable financial stability, but it’s vital that we consider all potential
outcomes before acting.

If anything in this article has offended you or gone against the teachings of Bhagwan Mahavir, we sincerely ask for forgiveness. Michhami Dukkadam!

Investing in Spiritual Progress: Harnessing the Jain Mindset to Transform the Investing Experience was originally published in Young Minds on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Originally Published: September 2023

By convention, a picture can speak a thousand words. However, a thousand words might have generated this image. Entitled Théâtre D’opéra Spatial, this same image was Jason Allen’s submission to the Colorado State Fair art competition. It also won first place in the digital art division, leaving Allen with a blue ribbon, $300 in prize money, and several competitors challenging his entry’s validity, let alone its victory: the artwork was entirely AI-generated.

The controversy around the role and place of artificial intelligence within societal boundaries continues as people grapple with novel gray areas related to the ethics of AI in the arts. As the pace of innovation accelerates, so does the need to determine what is — and isn’t — ethically acceptable.

“ART” GENERATORS

While ChatGPT is specifically constructed to produce text responses, similar tools excel in generating striking, detailed images from text prompts. Popular platforms include DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, and Midjourney, which fall under the umbrella of AI art generators. Below is an example of NightCafe Creator in action.

Pretty impressive, right? Here is another output NightCafe Creator has generated, with a slightly modified text prompt.

Another beautiful image, with brushstrokes similar to those seen in van Gogh’s works, including Starry Night. The sequence of prompts displayed also highlights the tool’s ability to facilitate an iterative creative process, enabling the user to fine-tune the output with the addition or alteration of a prompt.

In addition to awe, however, these results have induced several fundamental questions from critics, proponents, and the community at large. Where are these text-to-image AI models pulling baseline images from? Who deserves the credit for their creations? What are the short- and long-term implications for artists and their crafts?

“PIXELATED” AREAS

Several AI image generators market themselves as research labs and deep learning models that can combine images and artistic styles, even alluding to notable artists in cheeky ways (DALL-E is a pun based on Spanish artist Salvador Dali, while Midjourney describes itself as curated by “Fraud Monet,” a play on words in reference to French painter Claude Monet). The ethics behind these models are hotly debated. Gray areas primarily lie within the three following themes: aptitude for theft, ability to misinform, and potential for harm.

Given that AI can mimic the distinctive styles of existing artists, their original pieces must have been folded into this training set, and while sets will try to minimize the inclusion of copyright-protected data, this is easier said than done. Several questions around the ownership of AI-generated images subsequently follow: when existing artists are referenced on an AI art generator, who does the final work belong to? Should the artist used as inspiration receive partial ownership or reimbursement?

Visual and digital art forms also include photographs. In addition to developing paintings and drawings, AI art generators can just as easily create photorealistic images… of just about anything. This can range from the more innocent (the Pope wearing an oversized white puffer jacket, reminiscent of Balenciaga’s product line) to the malicious (images of world leaders committing fictitious deeds), but both cases tell a false story and can put the subject’s reputations, if not their lives, at stake.

Once these snippets of “fake news” are shared on social media, curbing their dissemination can be a next-to-impossible task. As platforms continue in their struggle to limit misinformation without impeding on basic rights to expression, they must now be able to identify and take down deepfakes, as well.

While certain forms of direct and indirect harm are referenced above, the buck doesn’t stop there. Users are finding edge cases in the capabilities of AI models each day, and regulators and AI company officials are working to define further restrictions and boundaries aimed at minimizing potential damage. For example, models include different safety features, such as banning the use of certain people’s names in prompts, producing no output when terms related to violence or self-harm are used, and screening prompts to ensure that content is appropriate irrespective of user age. Oftentimes, issues directly depend on the dataset used when initially training the model, and can be tedious and tricky to address.

NAVIGATING ONGOING INNOVATIONS

The vast usage of AI underscores the numerous opportunities for ethical violations and possible pitfalls of AI art generators, but it remains to be said that the tapped and still untapped power of AI can be harnessed in many beneficial ways.

These examples are but a glimpse into the AI’s ever-growing potential. In the meantime, society as a whole must come to an agreement on the right balance between its advantages and disadvantages. So far, most companies have been readily responding to criticism and concerns, expressing that with novel products come unforeseen challenges that they are ready to tackle and address. Nonetheless, public scrutiny around the workings and motivations behind AI models, along with the desire to impose greater control and safety measures around where this technology can go, will only increase as AI innovation booms.

AS FOR JAINISM?

This ethics dilemma was framed in my mind with relation to some of the core principles — specifically the Mahavrats, or great vows — of Jainism. Theft ties to Adattadan, the vow of non-stealing, and secondarily to Aparigraha, the vow of non-possessiveness. Misinformation and harm match up with Satya and Ahimsa, the vow of truthfulness and non-violence, respectively. Where should we draw the line when it come to using AI while upholding our values? Hopefully, these ideas are an initiation into more meaningful reflection around this topic and similar ones.

In what situations is AI ethical from a Jainism perspective? Did I even write this article, or was it the work of ChatGPT?

Note: For the record, I did indeed write this.

If anything in this article has offended you or gone against the teachings of Bhagwan Mahavir, we sincerely ask for forgiveness. Michhami Dukkadam!

JAINISM AND AI: An Ethics Exploration Into AI-Generated Art was originally published in Young Minds on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The decision to serve one’s country in the Armed Forces takes sacrifice, resilience, and empathy. In the Jain community, serving in the Armed Forces is generally regarded as a perpetuation of violence (going against the principle of Ahimsa*, or non-violence), leaving us to wonder: How “Jain” is it to serve in the Armed Forces? Can Jain principles be applied in the daily operations of the Armed Forces?

Physician Shikhar Shah, an anesthesiologist and captain in the U.S. Army, currently stationed at JBLM Medical Center, and Sushil Jain, who joined the U.S. Navy in 1979 and dedicated 26 years of his life to service as a Navy physician, shared their thoughts on the parallels between serving in the US Military and Jainism.

As with many aspects of life, there are usually gray areas between both extremes. Shah touches on this gray area, bringing up how there is much more to the Armed Forces than the external violence that civilians see. Shah believes that Jainism is a religion of practicality. Almost everything we do from eating to walking causes some level of violence; we must do some level of violence in order to survive. Translating this to today’s world, he believes that Jainism advocates for the reduction of harm compared to traditional absolutism that may be associated with Ahimsa. Using this lens, the goal of the Armed Forces is not to take part in Himsa, but to prevent wrongful attacks and deter further violence. Jain also touches on this idea of deterrence as a key part of the role of the Armed Forces, stating that the Armed Forces do not make the decision to go to war; they serve for the betterment of the country and its citizens.

In order to further explain the mission of the Armed Forces to better the country and its citizens, Jain draws parallels with Jain values: “Jainism tells us to take care of those who can’t take care of themselves; In the Armed Forces, we protect those who can’t protect themselves.”

During the Geneva Convention*, Jain mentioned his duty as a physician to serve all people, regardless of uniform. Shah echoes this idea when speaking of the ethical dilemmas physicians face in a war zone. Sometimes, the distinction between civilian and combatant may not be clear; however, as a physician of the Armed Forces, it is his duty to treat them if they are seeking help — even if they go back out into the battlefield and fight for the other side. In this way, the Armed Forces also advocates for the value of every life, regardless of the side.

The value of the individual also applies within the Armed Forces. In the 1980s, Jain was part of a panel to develop Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) for the Armed Forces, and as a part of the initiative, he advocated for the inclusion of vegetarian meals. They soon realized the need to honor religious needs and create faith-based MREs that met as many of the restrictions of the religion as possible, as well as hitting the necessary calorie count for active duty members. Jain played an instrumental role in developing these and expanding them to plant-based MREs under the Obama administration. The concept of MREs is now used in many other situations such as humanitarian disasters and has even extended to the civilian world.

Looking at the big picture, while both Shah and Jain acknowledge the Armed Forces’ value of each individual, Shah explains that the Army must also take into consideration the risks that are posed to the larger community. It is a difficult decision to make, one that Shah hopes he will never have to make. Jain echoes this sentiment, stating that “there are no winners in war.” He points to large corporations that many citizens end up working for, that indirectly or directly contribute to war. Shah also shares how before he joined the U.S. Army, his view of the military was rigid, but being a part of it now, he appreciates the complexity and room for growth. He urges people to look through a multiplicity of viewpoints, the Jain principle of Anekantavada, when it comes to working in the military as another large organization and that there are many ways to serve in support roles such as his.

Ultimately, the decision to serve in the Armed Forces is up to the individual. While Jain values may not appear at the surface of the operations of the Armed Forces, Shah and Jain acknowledge that these values manifest when one looks deeper.

*Nonviolence

*A series of international treaties originally implemented in 1949 (amended in 1977) that required the humane treatment of prisoners of war, civilians, and other vulnerable groups by belligerent nations

The thoughts and opinions expressed in each post belong solely to the individuals highlighted in the story. YJA does not endorse any of these viewpoints, but is simply using this article as a platform to showcase the diverse perspectives of our community.

If anything in this article has offended you or gone against the teachings of Bhagwan Mahavir, we sincerely ask for forgiveness. Michhami Dukkadam!

Beyond the Uniform: Jains in the Armed Forces was originally published in Young Minds on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Young Jains of America (YJA) is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to fostering Jain values and community engagement among youth. YJA is not affiliated with the Village of Hope or any other organization mentioned in this article. Any references to the Village of Hope or similar entities are for informational or illustrative purposes only and do not imply any official partnership, endorsement, or collaboration between YJA and the Village of Hope.

One day, after a storm, a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking up things and gently throwing them into the ocean.

Approaching the boy, he asked, “Young man, what are you doing?”

“Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die,” the boy replied.

The man laughed to himself and said, “Do you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You doing this won’t make a difference.”

After listening politely, the boy bent down to pick up another starfish and throw it into the surf. He smiled at the man and said, “I made a difference to that one.”

The next day, the old man gathered the local residents, and together, they threw all of the starfish back into the ocean.

This story was shared with me by an Italian reverend who runs the Village of Hope, an orphanage and school for HIV+* children that I had the privilege of visiting during a study abroad trip to Tanzania. During his narration, he drew parallels between it and his experiences in starting the Village of Hope.

He explained that the Village of Hope was founded during a time when Tanzania had record-breaking rates of HIV infection. Due to the lack of access to adequate medical treatment, infected parents would often succumb to their illness, leaving behind orphaned HIV+ children that family members would abandon due to widespread fear and stigma. As a result, numerous children ended up on the streets, sick and malnourished.

From these conditions, the reverend began the Village of Hope, rehabilitating and treating these children, and providing them with a second chance — a new hope — for their lives. Today, the Village of Hope houses 160 children, and conducts schooling for 700 primary school and 500 secondary school students.

After the reverend finished telling his story, one of my classmates started crying, overwhelmed with emotion. Most of us were silent, in awe.

Throughout the rest of the trip, I reflected on the reverend’s words, trying to connect his words and lessons to my own life. When I first learned about Karuna Bhavana in Pathshala and at home many years prior, the concept felt both profound and familiar, as though it articulated something I had intuitively understood but never named. His journey made me question times in my own life when I hesitated to act, thinking my efforts might be too small to make a difference. I thought back to moments when I skipped opportunities to help or stayed silent, wondering now how those seemingly minor actions could have created a ripple effect if I had chosen differently.

The boy and reverend reminded me of the universality of Karuna Bhavana**, a core Jain principle that emphasizes feeling and showing the utmost compassion towards all living beings. Hearing these stories and experiences made me realize that practicing this Bhavana calls us to act with empathy and kindness towards all beings, transcending the boundaries of culture, religion, and identity.

I realized that practicing Karuna Bhavana means not only feeling compassion, but also taking action to alleviate suffering, no matter how small the effort may seem. However, in order to alleviate the suffering, I realized that we must also attempt to understand it. Throughout the visit to the Village of Hope, my classmates and I were led through a part of the lives of these children- mass at church, schooling, play time, etc, while also learning about their HIV treatment regimens. It was both astounding and humbling to see the healthy and content lives so many of these HIV+ children lived, and the bright futures that lay ahead for them.

Every act of compassion, like the boy saving one starfish and the reverend healing one child, has the potential to inspire others and create meaningful change in the world. The boy inspired the local residents to create a larger movement to save the starfish. Similarly, the reverend was inspired and created the Village of Hope to heal hundreds of children throughout the years. Truly evoking Karuna Bhavana teaches us to open our hearts, listen with empathy, and take action, understanding that each small gesture contributes to a larger wave of compassion and healing. All it takes is one person to toss that first starfish back into the water to make ripples and waves that reach far and wide — whether it be taking an Anuvrat (“minor” vows taken by Jain laypeople), engaging in Seva (acts of service), or otherwise. When it comes to solving larger, and more overwhelming societal issues such as homelessness and poverty, the value of smaller acts tends to be overlooked when compared to the scale of these problems. Despite this, I realized that the “solution” will collectively be sown from the seeds of individuals. In other words, every little bit makes a difference.

Readers, with this in mind, I implore you to be bold and to take that first act of compassion in your personal and professional lives, towards a better tomorrow. Take that first step today, and for the days to come, because you never know what your seed will grow into.

If anything in this article has offended you or gone against the teachings of Bhagwan Mahavir, I sincerely ask for forgiveness. Michhami Dukkadam!

*HIV (human immunodeficiency virus): a virus that attacks the body’s immune system, affecting the body’s ability to fight disease. It is spread primarily through bodily fluids of an infected person.

**Karuna Bhavana: One of the four auxiliary Bhavanas (contemplations or reflections), which refers to contemplation on compassion.

Starfish & Tanzania’s Children was originally published in Young Minds on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.