$10 Million Temple Spurs Interest in Jain Faith 

The Record, Bergen County, NJ 

Buena Park, Calif., Oct. 14 - Some days are sweet.

And on a recent Sunday, Ramesh Doshi tastes it as he proudly points
out to guests the unexpected wonders of the ornately carved, 42,000-
square-foot Jain temple and cultural center going up on Commonwealth
Avenue - including the spot where a long-lost, two- story teak temple
will soon be reconstructed.

Jains like Doshi, an Orange County, Calif., engineer, believe the
world needs their faith more than ever. Their elaborate project - the
largest Jain center outside the Indian subcontinent - speaks to the
daunting task of getting that word out.

The generously conceived building of yellow Jesalmar stone imported
from India will help them try to popularize their faith's ideals.

Beyond India, few people have heard much of Jainism. Many Americans
might only have heard of the faith's nude monks, who carry feather
whisks to brush their paths rather than step on any tiny creature.

Local Jains are not monks, but doctors and engineers and business
owners who aim to advance tenets of non-violence, generosity and,
inextricably, vegetarianism.

Jainism applies non-violence even to plants.

"Because plants also have life," said Doshi, 55, president of the
Southern California Jain Center. "Of course, you have to draw the
line somewhere to survive. If you put water under a microscope there
are lots of living organisms. But you drink water.

"Still, where most people draw the line is right below human beings,
dogs and cats ... our line is drawn as low as possible. It's all
about the degree of violence.

"If I hit you, that is violence. Almost everyone would agree with
that. But we could be sitting here and you don't know, I could be
thinking bad about you. That is violence also."

Jains believe that when a soul conquers its material, earthbound
desires and acts only for the good of others, it will go to live in a
place of peace and delight above the universe. That is the goal of
all Jains.

Over the centuries Jainism lived alongside Buddhism and Hinduism in
India, but never grew in the same way, possibly because it can
involve a lot of self-sacrifice.

Today, fewer than 5 million adherents make up less than 1 percent of
the Indian population. Yet the tenacious faith exerts influence over
morals and values far beyond its numbers. Mahatma Gandhi was greatly
influenced by Jainism.

Here and in India, Jains tend to be members of the upper middle
class. And, as accumulation of unnecessary wealth is among the
faith's prohibitions, they are known to be extremely generous
philanthropists.

The 800 member-families of the local Jain center raised the $10
million for the building project. Volunteers on the building
committee have spent every Sunday since October 2001 planning,
strategizing and making decisions.

Designers from India chose the interior colors and carvings. The
walls will be painted with scenes from the history of the faith, and
the main cultural hall will feature a large stage equipped

with the latest in broadcast technology.

The building's centerpiece will be a two-story, teak Jain temple to
be reconstructed inside the main building.

The British built the temple in 1904 as a contribution to the World's
Fair in St. Louis. It was supposed to go back to India, but somehow
ended up in Howard Hughes' hands. He put it on display in the parking
lot of the Castaways Casino in Las Vegas.

After the eccentric billionaire's death, local Jains, particularly
former center president Dr. Manibhai Mehta, persuaded Hughes'
corporation to donate the temple.

"We have the bits and pieces," Doshi said. "It will take time, maybe
a year or two to get up, but eventually, when you first walk in to
the building, it is what you will see."

Neighbors tell them they can't wait to see the finished project, he
said.

"I think we're all looking forward to it," Buena Park City
Councilwoman Patsy Marshall said Friday. "People are interested to
see what it's going to look like."

The center, scheduled to open this winter, will not only offer an
opportunity to become familiar with the Jain philosophy, but also a
close-up look at Indian art and architecture.

"We want to blend in with our community but at the same time educate
people about non-violence, so that everyone will live in peace and
light," Doshi said. "If we can uplift the community around that ... I
think this whole building, all this effort, will be worthwhile."