________________
According to 2001 Census Bureau, Government of India:
India Total 2001 Population 1,028,610,328
Jain 0.4%.
4,225,053
Of the total Jain population of 4,225,053 in India, the largest numbers of Jains (1,301,843) are in Maharashtra. Next to Maharashtra, the population of Jains in other states is Rajasthan (650,493), Gujarat (525,303), Madhya Pradesha (545,446), Karnatak (412,659), Uttar Pradesha (207,111) and Delhi (155,122). It should be noted that most of the Jains in Maharashtra are in Mumbai and most them are of Gujarati origin.
Jainism and Modern Age
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Jain scholarship, education, and writings have made popular and available to educated masses in many foreign languages, Jains have become much more conscious of the wider public need of such knowledge. Without seeking to count heads of converts like many religions, Jains have become concerned with spreading knowledge of the Jain religion and encouraging adherence to its principles. In addition, for the first time in Jain history, Jainism has spread to Africa, Europe, and North America, where Jain communities have settled and flourished.
Educational institutions have been endowed, and publishing of religious material have been supported. Particular Jain institutions, such as the refuges for sick animals, are maintained. Generosity to Jain causes, by people of all income groups, is a major Jain characteristic, but generosity is not confined to Jain causes alone.
Let us now pick up a few examples of the prominent people who have been particularly concerned with the promotion of Jain faith and principles over the past century.
In 1893, a 'World Parliament of Religions' was held in the United States and the organizer sought a Jain representative. The invitation went to Ächärya Ätmärämji. As a monk it was not possible for him to travel, so the task of being the Ächärya's representative and the first Jain to explain his religion to a major overseas gathering fell to Shri Virchand Gandhi, Honorary Secretary of the Jain Association of India. His lectures in the U.S.A. earned him a silver medal from the Parliament of Religions for his scholarly oratory. Going on to England, he continued his lecturing (he gave 535 lectures in all between USA and England). One of his students was Herbert Warren, who became secretary of the Jain Literature Society, founded with Virchand Gandhi's help. Herbert Warren wrote many books on Jainism explaining the subject in a simple way. Virchand Gandhi died at a very young age of thirty-seven.
A landmark was the 1884 publication of the first two volumes of Jain Sutras, translated into English by Hermann Jacobi. An English writer, Mrs. Sinclair Stevenson, published a book "The Heart of Jainism (1915)', a sympathetic book but colored by a strong Christian missionary outlook. In 1925, Helmuth Von Glasenapp wrote a book "Jainism An Indian Religion of Salvation" in German and this book have now been translated into English. At a more popular level, knowledge of Jainism and the Jains is very slowly filtering into Western consciousness. Within the Jain community, there is a desire to make the principles of Jainism known to a wider world.
Jain Contribution to Indian Culture:
Jains have made remarkable contributions in the areas of languages and literature, arts and architecture (temples, temple cities, cave temples, Stups, Mäna - Sthambhas, towers, sculptures and paintings), philosophy (multiplicity of views - Anekäntaväda), ethical codes, business, political progress, religious, social and educational equality to women, urging of self-reliance. There greatest contribution is emphasis on non-violence to the smallest level, including mental and verbal abuse to constitute as non-violence. Jains have always been known for their honesty.
There is no doubt that now, in the twenty-first century, Jainism is in a healthy state. Jainism continues to spread beyond the bounds of India and the ideas it carries can change the world by making it an everlasting peaceful place to live.
JAIN PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE - 2
249
