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PREFACE
Preface Jainism is a modern word to describe the ancient spiritual path of non-violence. The term Jain comes from the word 'Jina' which means 'spiritual victor'. It designates a person who is completely free of the inner vices - anger, ego, deceit, greed, fear, attachment, and hatred.
Jainism is considered a rich and profound way of life embraced by a strong and largely affluent minority in India. Though the religion has produced world-class leaders and has propagated its philosophies for generations, little is known about it outside the South Asian continent. The Jain community, consisting of 6 to 8 million Jains (or less than 1% of the Indian population), has produced successful men and women in all fields including academics, sciences, government, medicine, and arts.
In North America, there are an estimated 25,000 Jain families practicing the ancient traditions of this religion. Though some of these people living in nations outside India have a solid foundation in the religion and its philosophy, many unfortunately lack knowledge of the basic principles at the heart of the religion. This is due to no fault of their own. While the structure of the Jain community is a symbiotic relationship between the lay and the monastic segments, the heavy restrictions on travel accepted by Jain ascetics hinder the perpetual flow of knowledge between the two groups. Thus, we are left with an educational divide - on one hand, there are the erudite monks and a few scholar house-holders that possess true working knowledge of the scriptures and philosophies of Jainism, and on the other hand, a global community of Jains lacking access to teachers and spiritual guidance. Since the majority of Jain publications are written in South Asian languages, Jains worldwide lack easy access to Jain literature as well. It is imperative that we fill this void and produce Jain literature in contemporary, easy to understand English.
The primary purpose of this booklet is to provide a basic introduction of the Jain religion to the English-speaking Jain youth of North America and other countries. It briefly covers the various aspects
JAINISM AND SPIRITUAL AWAKENING
