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What used to distinguish Jains from the majority is very quickly disappearing; a time is approaching when Jains will be no different than the rest in terms of their behaviors and lifestyle.
LACK OF VISIONARY AND COMMITED LEADERS
At present, there is vacuum of non-sectarian, broadminded, visionary, dynamic, influential, dedicated, committed, educated, unifying and anuvarati leaders within the Jain community. Because of changing demographics and new and ever-changing environments, we are in need of leaders who can inspire and prepare the Jain community to respond to these changes rightly and in a timely manner. If we don't do that, we will suffer the fate described in the following adage: “If we always do what we always did, we will always get what we always got.” This is a sure formula for perishing.
WHY DID GANDHISM FAIL AND PRACTICALLY DISAPPEAR FROM INDIA? Mahatma Gandhi devoted all his life to the practice of ahimsa and truth. Jains' value of autonomy, as well as the concept of swaraj or "self-rule,” were essential components for Gandhi's nonviolent movement. Gandhian scholar Pratibha Jain suggests that Gandhi's primary legacies were his autonomous interpretation of Jain doctrines and the subsequent variations he developed. Gandhi transformed personal practices of nonviolence into collective action and he extended his reinterpretation of vows beyond the purpose of self-purification so that they became tools for political peace that hastened Indian independence. Yet, soon after Gandhi-ji's death, his followers (except a few like Acharya Vinoba Bhave) mostly abandoned ahimsa and as a result Gandhi and his philosophy nearly disappeared from India. In my opinion, this is due to the fact that very few of Gandhi-ji's followers were ahimsak, did not believe much in his
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An Ahimsa Crisis: You Decide
