Jainism - Jainism reaches Japan

Jainism reaches Japan

AHMEDABAD: They wear Indian traditional clothes, don tilaks and can also recite the Navkar mantra - when a group of such Japanese nationals visited Gachchanath Manoharpritisurishwar Maharaj at Paldi, other devotees were left stunned. 

However, for the 'devotees' from Japan, it was nothing out of the ordinary, as they have adopted a number of Jain practices over the past decades.

Acharya Udaykirtisagar Maharaj said the group has adopted vegetarianism and also perform religious rituals at home. 

They also observe practices such as Aththai and Chovihar and drink boiled water. Members of the group accepted vaskshep and raksha potli from gurus on Tuesday. They would visit Nakoda Tirth this week. "It has become a ritual for the group to visit the Gachchanath Manoharpritisurishwar Maharaj wherever he spends his chaturmaas (four months of monsoon) every year," he said.


Mai Tahibana, a wedding counsellor in Japan, said that vegetarianism is catching on fast in that country. "Jain practices give peace of mind and takes practitioners to a higher plane of consciousness," he said, adding that many members of the group are learning Hindi to understand Indian culture.

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Kon Taro, an academic, said that he has been studying Jain astrology under experts. "I have embraced Jain practices for the past seven years. We perform group prayers in Japan. I was not a practitioner of Buddhism, but when I came to know about Jainism, I found a connect," he said.

The group members said that they keep in touch with the Jain monks through technology to understand various practices, and also to seek guidance over issues ranging from personal to professional matters.