Followers of Jainism have worshiped in India for thousands of years, but the Jain community here in D.C. is just over two decades old. Bhupesh Mehta is the president of the Jain Society of Metropolitan Washington and the director of JAINA, the Federation of Jain Associations in North America. He and his wife, Dr. Yash Mehta, moved from India to the Maryland suburbs of D.C. in 2004 for his job as an information systems manager. The Jain Society of Metropolitan Washington now represents more than 580 families and hosts weekly activities, lectures and worship services. The society is making plans to build a new temple in Beltsville. Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?
Yes, I’m proud to be a Jain. I was born and brought up in a Jain family, and I’ve practiced Jainism all of my life. Jainism teaches compassion and respect for all living beings. There are three core principles of Jainism. Nonviolence is the heart of Jainism: not harming any form of life by deeds, words, actions or thoughts. The second principle is nonattachment, which basically teaches balancing our needs with desires while staying detached from any possession. We come into this world with nothing; we will leave this world with nothing. The illusion of ownership pollutes the consciousness. Attachment to the world is what causes karma accumulation. The third principle is nonabsolutism: respect for the views of others. You can only know the absolute truth by understanding different points of views. So we are open to discussion and dialogues to know more about the truth.
