Parth Shah (C ‘18) On August 24, 2015, thousands of people gathered in Jaipur, India and in other cities around the country. They dressed in orange or white, held large signs, and marched with firm resolve. About a week before, another group of people gathered in Pune, India in a…

Sohum Daftary (E ’19, W ‘19) Today I hosted a Spiritual Discussion on impermanence and attachment. Through the discussion and conversation, I think we found a potential way of limiting attachment in our day to day lives- something that’s practical, simple, achievable, probably already used by many people, and effective. …

Mounika Kannegati (C ‘17) I. So I have to admit — I was one of those people who Googled “end of the world” last week. Even after a week of open discourse, I think we are all imagining different futures for the next four years; our collective imagination seems to…

Parth Shah (C ‘18) Jains recall a story of their 23rd Tirthankara Parsvanatha as follows: About 3,000 years ago, a popular monk named Kamath practiced severe penances using sacrificial fires. Parsva, a newly devout monk came to know of these fire sacrifices and the violence they caused. When he noticed…

Sohum Daftary (E ’19, W ‘19) This past summer, I visited India as a part-spiritual retreat, part-restocking-on-khakara-trip. It’s a trip the family has been making frequently with a very similar routine each time. Land in Mumbai, meet grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, second cousins, people that are close enough to be…

Shivali Govani (C ‘18) Serving as Paryushan Chair this semester on Penn’s Hindu and Jain Association was a very spiritual and rewarding experience for me. Paryushan is an 8–10 day Jain holiday to renew faith where people take the time to think about their year, contemplate their spirituality, and ask…

Rama Godse (C ‘19) During the first half of the episode “The Message of the Myth” (part of “The Power of Myth” television series), interviewer Bill Moyers appears somewhat uncomfortable with comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell’s metaphorical treatment of religion. It feels as though Moyers only grudgingly accepts Campbell’s views, particularly…

Chintav Shah (E ’16, W ‘16) When children look at something, their interpretation is often based off of the pure reality of things “as they are”. During their younger years, most kids have not yet been conditioned to act in a certain way just because ‘everyone else does so’. But…

Mounika Kanneganti (C ‘17) We are all involved in practices that foster personal growth; my main form of growth before college, or as I was writing about flying in a hot air balloon for my Common App essay, was through introspection. …