Apparently for Jain males, not for "everyone."

For someone not raised in Jainism but seeking wisdom in the theologies of other cultures, I found this interesting and worthy of time spent listening to the Jain perspective on many topics. Boiling this down, it is primarily an exercise in exploring many decisions we are faced with in life and isolating how to find the right answer which is most closely tied to our core objective, The Jain way has a specific core objective so these discussions focus on how to be most Jain. It really is not set up to teach you what Jain is but rather assumes you know and already are Jain and are seeking guidance on how you should be your best Jain. Questions are posed such as how to decide if this or that action or thought is in line with Jain life and how to do better or help children reconcile the lifestyle while living in a predominantly non-Jain (American) environment. The answers seem simple but the inquisitors complicate things by microdissection, deconstruction and reconstruction and reanalysis. Such is the human condition to do so and this walks with you through the endless ways your brain seeks to make sense of the rules in comparison to your natural instincts. Analytical minds may enjoy this simply for the act of it and others may find themselves more confused with more question than answers compounding like hydra heads. There seem to be many contradictions here as with any religion but I suspect humans have made a simple plan more complicated than it was originally designed.
Regarding the class environment itself:
As a female, I noticed this is run by and attended only by males. In the first 20 episodes there are no females, except as the subject of a male story or to be used as an example for a male lesson. I wonder if females had been present in these classes, whether they would have been referred to in the same way. I can't say I am offended exactly but I found it disenfranchising and wonder what the participants and instructor, Timir Chheda, would think of their attitudes and actions if they were able to see them from the perspective of one who is not only excluded from the meetings but also a regular subject of distasteful comments during the meetings. I jokingly posit that women have already transcended the need for these classes and that is why they are not present and the men resent them subconsciously which is why they speak of women like objects and hazards. I am sure that possibility is too harsh. Maybe they are simply oblivious to this. If Timir wishes to truly deliver a course that is for "EVERYONE" as it is entitled, he will benefit from intentional inclusion of females and discourage disparaging discourse towards females rather than incite, tolerate and encourage it.
From a performance perspective, it became irritating to hear the person with the eternal head cold regularly sniffing sharply, coughing and clearing throat very close to the microphone. I found this distraction kind of gross and a deterrent to listening to back to back sessions. Other than this and a lot of background noise from mostly female and child voices in the hallway, the recording is clear and you can hear most of what most participants say. I really enjoyed hearing voices of several individuals rather than a broad single-voiced lecture format. The format allows you to recognize how similar we all are in our thinking across genders, cultures and lifestyles yet how much variety does exist in our paths to the same goal.
Overall I say give it a try.

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