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The sudden and frightening increase in terrorism has once again put violence on a pedestal from which it radiates fear, suspicion, mistrust and hostility. The call of the present time is to put a stop to the cult of violence and spread the message of non-violence at the local, regional, national, continental and global levels. Here the philosophy of Jainism assumes considerable relevance because it offers to the troubled humanity a path towards relaxed tensions, increasing serenity of mind, mutual tolerance, mutual accommodation and maximization of human welfare both for an individual as well as the society.
Jain philosophy offers not just a religion for an individual or the community, but a way of life for sustaining and promoting cherished values of the best and the noblest in the human culture and civilization. A true Jain can be an effective soldier in the struggle for a durable world peace. He can contribute effectively to the building of a world without fear, war, hunger or deprivation.
The Jain community has been very active in recent years in order to bring about increased awareness of Jainism. At several international congresses and conferences, Jain philosophy has been widely expounded and its knowledge spread not only among Jain but also among others. In USA, United Kingdom, Kenya and many other places Jain Temples have been built through the efforts and initiative of the local Jain Communities of Indian origin. The temple in Nairobi (Kenya) is a worthy example of Jain architecture; so is the temple inaugurated last year at Leicester in UK, which houses under one-roof places of worship for different sects of Jains. It was a discarded church building in a prime location in the city, which has been rehabilitated in a beautiful artistic and dignified manner as a Jain Temple. It is an example, which is worth emulating in order to carry forward the task of unifying the Jain community
We need even more actively to spread the message of Jainism in terms of its relevance to the problems that the world is confronted with. We need to spread the message of Jainism to promote the concept of not only peaceful co-existence but also growing global interdependence
Ahimsa: The Ultimate Winner
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