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AHIMSA TIMES - DECEMBER 2008 ISSUE - www.jainsamaj.org
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This year, Lord David Puttnam, Labour Peer and President of UNICEF UK delivered the key note speech on 'alleviating global poverty'. As President of UNICEF UK, he said he had seen at first hand the poverty, hunger and lack of basic health and education provision for children in many countries. He argued passionately that our lack of action will see this becoming commonplace, and that tackling environmental issues and fighting poverty needs to be an urgent priority now for countries and industry.
Other speakers included Minister for London and Employment, the Rt Hon Tony McNulty MP, who spoke about ahimsa as being more than a non-violent or pacifist view. He gave examples from the life of Mahatma Gandhi ji to illustrate how conviction and non-violent action can achieve great outcomes.
The Ahimsa Award for 2008 was given to Acharya Mahapragya, Spiritual Head of the Jain Terapanth Sect and a Jain monk for over 75 years. He is widely accredited with the rediscovery of Jain meditation - Preksha Dhyana, promoting Jain lay vows widely and achieving harmony during the recent sectarian riots.
The award was collected by the Choradia Family and two UK resident Samanijis (Jain Terapanth Nuns) on his behalf. They read a message from the Acharya emphasising that non-violence and non-possession (or limited possession) of material goods and wealth were closely linked.
Mr. Ratilal Chandaria, Chairman of the Institute of Jainology, said: "This 6th Ahimsa Day has been an outstanding success. As Jains we are proud that our values and philosophy are respected by many Parliamentarians, who show as deep a conviction towards compassion to life as we do. We will certainly build on this in years to come."
About Institute of Jainology, UK -The Institute of Jainology promotes Jain philosophy and its values of compassion and non-violence towards all living beings through art, culture and education.
The Institute has many years of experience in delivering national and international Jain projects. These have included major exhibitions at the V&A (1995), publications of Jain sacred literature with contemporary English commentaries (Tattvartha Sutra, Harper Collins 1994) and an annual Ahimsa (non-violence) Day at the House of Commons. In 2007, HRH Prince Philip launched the Catalogue of Jain Manuscripts of the British Library which was compiled by the Institute over a 12 year period. The Institute also launched Discover Jainism in 2007, a book for teaching Jainism within the English National Curriculum.
In 2008, the Institute launched JAINpedia, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, to digitise important Jain collections in the UK at the British Library, Wellcome Trust Library, V&A and the Bodleian Library (Oxford) and contextualise them to create a rich online resource for students, scholars and the general public. The online resource will be promoted for 4 years through local and regional exhibitions, school INSET days and events at Jain temples around the UK. From Jaysukh Mehta, Trustee, Institute of Jainology, E-Mail: jaysukhmehta@googlemail.com URL: www.jainology.org
PRESIDENT TO INAUGRATE WORLD PEACE SUMMIT IN HASTINAPUR Honrable President, Ms. Prtibha Devisingh Patil will inaugerate world peace and non-violence summit in Jambudweep, Hastinapur, Uttar Pradesh on 21st December 2008. The programme will discuss the importance of non-violence philosophy, as propounded by Lord Mahvira and carried forward by the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi in bringing about world peace, brotherhood and harmony in the present context of growing global discontent and strain. The event will see the presence of eminent scholars and over 5000 people from around the country. The programme will be held under the auspicious presence of renowned Jain sadhwi and scholar- 'Shri Ganini Gyanmati Mataji'. Pujya Mataji has written over 300 texts on jainsim and its philosphy of non violence. Hastinapur, is a central holy place for the jain community. The birth place of 3 Jain thirthankaras- Lord Shantinath, Kunthunath and Arahanath; it is also associated with many other historical events of religious and social importance. This programme will be held in the compound of Jambudweep- Jain temple complex at Hastinapur. The programme is organized by "Digambar Jain Trilok Shodh Sansthan". For any further enquires and how you can attend the event please contact the Brahmchari Shri Ravindra Kumar Jain Mobile- 09412708203. From: Anamika Jain, E
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8/11/2009
