All Camino

One of the great joys of this El Camino Real project is “discovering” treasures that are right in front of me and which have been there for a very long time. The human brain is a powerful filter and can swallow up entire continents in its blind spot if your focus happens to be somewhere else. One day I was in Milpitas looking for what was left of the O’Toole elms, and was startled to see a beautiful temple facing where they once where. I had “discovered” the Jain Center of Northern California.

It stands on Main Street in Milpitas. I’ve been up and down Main Street countless times in the last decade but somehow I never noticed it. Once I realized it was there, I had no idea what it was; I had never heard of Jainism. I asked my co-worker Shashank, my go-to guy for all things Indian, and did some rudimentary research and learned that Jainism is an ancient Indian religion whose adherents strive for non-violence, or Ahimsa, in the extreme in the pursuit of perfect karma. They go beyond simply practicing peace in their dealings with other people. They are vegetarians to avoid committing violence against animals. The most devout, monks and nuns, don’t eat root vegetables because insects could be harmed in digging them up and they wear face masks to avoid breathing in microscopic organisms. Through meditation, rituals, and other disciplines they work to achieve victory over worldly concerns and unity with divinity.

This Jain Center in Milpitas is one of two in California and serves about 1,000 Jains in the Bay Area. Thursday morning I read in the San Jose Mercury News online that the center is marking its 10th Anniversary here with a four-day weekend celebration. There will be ceremonies, lectures, performances, and a parade. I went over that day to catch a glimpse inside the marble palace and enjoy a multicultural experience.

The parking lot was nearly full but I found a spot and made my way to the front door, admiring the architecture and landscaping. I was nervous, afraid I would make a misstep and offend the worshipers. Before leaving the house I debated changing my shoes and belt, wondering if it would be problematic to bring my leather goods—animal products—onto the property. It turns out my intuition was correct. Inside the spacious vestibule they have a special shoe room with cubbies where everyone is asked to leave their shoes and leather items; everyone walks around the temple in bare feet or socks. I was oddly comforted that I had gotten this right, and proceeded boldly.

The volunteer who directed me to the shoe room encouraged me to go upstairs and stay for lunch. Posted signs directed me that the temple was upstairs and that there were rules to follow: no socializing, proper attire required, etc. There was no solemn hush however; loud music was echoing from up there. I climbed the stairs and enjoyed a picture-window view of the Milpitas eastern hills. The second floor holds the temple proper, a large marble covered room. Around the walls there were a number of statues, most of cross-legged seated figures, each unique. The statues against the back wall were cordoned off and were attended to by a monk and nun in face masks. There were also three large black and white photographs of relatively recent individuals, obviously revered. There was an altar in the middle of the room surrounded by ornately carved columns. Jains sat cross-legged on the floor around the altar facing crowned officiants who were performing rituals with fruit and water. The Jains were wearing a variety of clothes including traditional saris, workday street clothes, and simple Gandhi-like wraps. Five musicians sat on the floor playing instruments and drums and singing lively stirring ceremonial songs over a blasting sound system. There were chairs ringing the room and I sat in one, deciding to play it safe and be a wallflower, as unobtrusive as possible. I probably needn’t have worried as there was some general milling about and children skipping around the room. An operator ran a videocamera which I learned was broadcasting video of the ceremony to the dining hall downstairs and over the internet. I stayed for about twenty minutes, wide-eyed and thrilled, before making my way downstairs again, opting not to back out of the room as I had seen the Jains do.

Downstairs I retrieved my shoes and entered the dining room which was laid out end-to-end with tables. Volunteers in the kitchen dished me out a serving of soup, rice, pancake-y things, and a sweet custardy item labeled “Whole, Hearty Grains.” Everything was vegetarian of course, and delicious. My favorite was the soup which was surprisingly spicy. A sign on the wall admonished us not to waste food so I cleaned my plate.

While I was waiting in the lunch line a woman entered who I correctly deduced was a reporter since she carried a notepad and was the only non-Indian in the room besides myself. I flagged her down and learned she’s Lisa Fernandez from the San Jose Mercury News who had written the story I read that morning and was there to follow up. I gave her my info and check it out…I’m a newsmaker! Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to plug AllCamino.com. D’oh!

After eating I explored the ground floor some more, admiring large marble reliefs adorning the walls, the auditorium where the lectures will be conducted, and a massive statue of a seated figure in a shrine surrounded by a variety of animals and people. In one wing there were paintings on display, being sold in a silent auction. They were deeply spiritual, several depicting the same cross-legged figure motif which I believe represents the liberated soul. I was particularly impressed by a painting of the Milpitas temple, beautifully done by a 12-year-old prodigy.

I had many questions so I talked for a while with a gracious volunteer named Karuna Jain (it’s a common last name among Jains). She gave me a brief overview of the religion’s history, tenets, and practices. She explained that the statues in the temple represent the twenty-four Tirthankars, mortals throughout history who succeeded in attaining enlightenment through Jainism and are now worshiped as role models and teachers. Then we covered some deep El Camino topics. Let me catch you up.

The Jain Center is on Main Street or El Camino de San Jose. There used to be a row of elm trees that stretched from that point on Main Street to the O’Toole family mansion a short walk away. The trees and mansion were Milpitas landmarks for decades. The O’Tooles suffered mysterious misfortunes so the county acquired the property and turned it into an almshouse for the poor then later a jail. Elmwood Correctional Complex stands there today across Abel Street, named for the elm trees which sadly were destroyed in the name of progress in 2005. O’Toole Elms Park now spans where the elms were and new elm saplings have been planted in their memory. When workers were building the modern jail they unearthed Native American remains. The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe were brought in as consultants to remove their ancestral remains and properly re-bury them with all due reverence.

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There’s some delicious congruence here. Linguistically the puns are irresistible. The elms connect the Jail to the Jain, the Indians from long ago to the Indians from far away. Narratively it’s tempting to suggest that the misfortunes of the O’Tooles and the bad mojo of the jail may have been brought on by disturbed Ohlone ghosts and that the Jains’ pursuit of peace calmed them with positivity. Spiritually it’s striking that the Jains chose that spot for their temple,  that the Muwekma chose the other end for their hallowed burial site, and that the Franciscan padres stopped here to give penance by the nearby creek. There’s something about this place.

All of this was on my mind as I asked Karuna a loaded question: why did the Jains build the center here? Naturally she replied pragmatically that the land was available and affordable but when I let her know some of the above local history she became very thoughtful and told me something interesting.  She said before Jain temples are built many prayers and ceremonies are performed to ensure the location’s suitability. For example the trees that will be cut for the construction are asked their permission first. (The elms weren’t cut so I’m sure they took the opportunity to chime in.) The land is consulted. I believe this land has a lot to say. We agreed that perhaps it was no coincidence that the Jains came and the Buddhists came and the Franciscans built their road to their East Bay Mission here. Again, there’s something about this place.

I very much enjoyed my visit to the Jain Center. The building is beautiful and their beliefs are inspiring. I’m very grateful for the hospitality they extended; I decided to go vegetarian all day as a gesture of harmony. If I make it to the parade down Main Street on Saturday I’ll post some pictures.

10th Anniversary of Jain Bhawan Pratishtha

August 5th – 8th, 2010
Jain Center of Northern California
722 South Main Street
Milpitas, CA 95035
http://www.jcnc.org/10th