I came across this wonderful video with insights and a look into the eastern philosophy of karma. I've been recently reading about and studying the theory of karma in the Jain philosophy. 

Watch the video below, directed by Erling Hoveid, and share your thoughts in the comments section below:

Here is my opening note at the Young Jains 'Bridging The Gap' Convention:

Here is my closing note - unpolished, inspiring and a call to action:

Part One:

Part Two:

This weekend just gone was the Young Jains 7th International Convention, BRIDGING THE GAP.

I feel completely humbled about how the entire weekend unfolded for the 150 people in the room. The presentations carefully delivered, the food prepared with love, the collaborative compassion from the team and the energy and atmosphere was all second to none. I'll write more and post videos in due course.

Here is a song played multiple times over the weekend. Listen to the words.

On April 19th I was elected President of Young Jains UK, a not for profit organisation dedicated to promotion of Jain Dharma in the Western World.
 
It's a voluntary post that I'm committed to for a year alongside my other interests and commitments in life.
 
It's been about 30 days now so I wanted to reflect on a few things we've achieved or started:
 
1. The first immediate change was of the weekly e-bulletin; creating a much modern and easy to read layout sharing updates, videos and upcoming events.
 
2. We have an exciting team with new ideas gelled with my 7-8 years of experience as a volunteer to bring out and highlight the key areas for improvement.
 
3. Cemented our objectives as a leader and as a team for the org.
 
4. Marketing is a key focus in my life anyway so I can see why we have made some important changes and are in the progress of improving things in a big way. Starting with a new website this summer - and more focused strategy on web 2.0 tools.
 
5. We have a complete roadmap laid out for events throughout the entire year, with a few dates to be confirmed soon. Although it's been a lot of work right at the start I foresee it getting less as the structure formalizes more.
 
I can't forget to mention our big event of the year - Young Jains 7th international convention called Bridging The Gap on 17th to 19th July. More details at http://www.youngjains.org.uk/convention
 
All in all we've hit the ground running, we'll jog at times and walk at other moments - but right now, the way the year is looking is very, very exciting.
 
 
Here's our 2009-2010- Executive Committee team:

Photo by http://bhaviksgallery.com

Went to the Stanton Guildhouse for a Young Jains retreat where we looked at some core principles of the dharma and the future planning of the organization and its events.

Jai Jinendra... which means I bow down to the greatness of the Jinas (those who have attained nirvana) and by doing so try to internalize and imbibe their qualities in ourselves.

At a discussion event about Jain business ethics led by Dr Atul K Shah of Diverse Ethics Ltd.

UPDATE (21/03) - It was an interesting event. We discussed the theory and practical elements of Jain dharma that are important in ethical business practices, primarily touching on the main vows of Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truth), Aparigraha (non-possessiveness) and Asteya (non-stealing), whilst touching briefly on the permanence of the soul and the impermanence of the body that drives the business. There was an interesting difference of opinion where some though that profit maximization is fine if profit is channelled in the right way, and others felt that business should just be there to make all that's needed. What do you think?

Apologies for any brevity. Sent from my iPhone.