I would like some help in learning Jainism

[JonnyNYC90]

Hello everyone,
My name is Jonathan. I am a college student near Philadelphia in the USA.
I have a question about Jainism that I would very much appreciate some help on.

I have thought very deeply about how I perceive the world and the universe, and I have discovered that Jainism fits perfectly with my thoughts and beliefs. I would like to become a Jain.

I cannot find many resources online about attending a Jain temple, and I am nervous. I do not know what to do or how to act, and I am afraid that by going there, I would cause some kind of disturbance. What should I do about this? I would feel very guilty about entering a temple and acting like a fool because I do not know what to do or say.

Any help or guidance is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Jonathan

 

[Stella Polaris]

Please see this thread: Jainism Books and Resources
There are tons of resources and links about Jainism!

My advice about going to a temple is to call ahead and ask what you should do to to prepare. I'm sure the people at the Jain temple would be helpful and let you know what to do to visit.

I tried to search for temple etiquette and didn't find much.
There was this, from a temple in California--

Etiquette Guidelines and Dress Code Please dress conservatively and respectfully. Especially, do not wear shorts or short skirts. Be prepared to sit cross-legged on the floor, but please do not sit stretching your legs out in front of you. You will be asked to remove your shoes before entering the shrine.
Jain Center of Southern California

I also found this:

Puja and Temple Etiquette
Enter the Gabhara in Puja Clothes only
No food or drinks allowed in temple
No ladies purse or leather items in temple
Please refrain from smoking in and around JCSC complex
Remove your shoes and place shoes in shoe racks only before entering temple
Do not chew gums, tobacco, mukhvas etc in temple
No burmuda or shorts in temple, no black clothes during major religious events, please
wear appropriate clothing.
All electronic devices should be turned off or put on vibrate mode in temple and during
puja, pujan, pratikraman, swadhyay, lectures or any other group activities.
Please keep our temple neat and clean.
Please observe silence at all times in the temple area
Jain Center Newsletter

Also if you are nervous, you could always ask to meet with a member of the temple and they could explain the processes and rituals to you. Depending on the temple, there may even be some sort of class to learn more about Jainism.

So my advice is to call the temple, tell they you are interested in attending the temple and are interested in Jainism. Tell them you'd like to attend, but aren't sure proper etiquette and if there is anything you need to know before you visit. Etc.

ETA: You can also see if the temple near you has a website and if they do, you can see if they have a page/area about etiquette.
Also if you don't want to call, they'd probably have an email you can send your questions to.

Good luck

 

[religion99]

Please look at these posts:

http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/general-religious-debates/119533-path-eternal-happiness.html

http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/jainism-dir/116410-jainism-nutshell-2.html

http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/religious-debates/120192-variations-omniscience-6.html

Do you agree with these assertions? If yes , then I can give you more information.

 

[anant]

There is another Jain sect that does not believe in idol worship, you can try that . Having said that most of the tenets do remain same. In my opinion temple and idol worship is of recent origin and a cultural impact of Hinduism (some historians believe it otherways).