JAINA Convention 1993 07 Pittusburgh

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 22

20
Jewish, Christian or Muslim friends are introduced to Jain values, so much the better.
Beyond the circle of intimate friends and acquaintances, there are multiple opportunities to interact, albeit less personally, with the multiculture that North America has become. Admittedly, you are now part of a strident and, at times, disorientingly mobile society. But each Jain can decide how his or her voice can be heard--then commit time and energy in a very intentional way in order to allow this to happen. Even in smaller U.S. cities, for example, there are professional associations, civic groups and social service agencies that almost always welcome participation regardless of religion or national origin. And some local organizations perennially require board members to serve in an advisory capacity. Alignment with one or more of these will eventually make positions of leadership available whereby Jains may involve themselves directly in charitable undertakings and in social concerns.
Political activity offers yet another possibility for expressing the ideals of nonviolence indirectly through the shap- ing of public policy. With the election of President Clinton, American citizens have an opportunity to redirect the ener- gies of society according to communitarianism. As William A. Galston explains, communitarianism "seeks to balance rights and responsibilities and to nourish the moral ties of family, neighborhood, workplace, and citizenship as a basis for innovative public policy" (The Chronicle of Higher Education, December 2, 1992, p. A52). All Americans, Jains included, now have the opportunity to build on moral principles for the sake of bringing about long overdue reform of society and of government This moment in American history appears to present an auspicious occasion for advancing nonviolence through government that is oriented more toward participation and cooperation and less toward competition and fragmentation
induced by self-seeking interest groups. If the civil rights and environmental movements were guided or at least informed by ahimsa, how might citizens working together offer moral arguments that would continue to transform American politics? It is through addressing questions such as this that Jains can identify strategies designed to effectively intersect the political process of democracy in order to bring about lasting, constructive change.
There are businesses in the United States founded upon nonviolent premises. One can invest in some of these through social responsibility funds that emphasize investment in industries that produce goods and services unrelated to war. Pax World Fund, for example, is described as "a no-load, open end, diversified mutual fund with both economic and social criteria. It endeavors to make a contribution to world peace through investing in companies producing life-supportive goods and services." Pax World Fund invests in 1) industries unrelated to war; 2) firms with fair employment practices; 3) companies that exercise pollution control; and 4) some international development. There are no Pax investments in the liquor, tobacco or gambling industries. Accordingly, the Fund includes in its portfolio investments in health care, education, pollution control, food, retail, housing, renewable energy, leisure time and others. Pax World periodically holds bonds of the World Bank the profits of which are directed in part to the International Development Association for long-term, low-interest loans to the poorest countries of the world. For a prospectus write: Pax World Fund, Inc., 224 State Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire 03801.
For personal finance one may wish to secure a Working Assets Visa card. It may be used for all credit card purchases. However, each time the card is used Working Assets donates five cents to progressive, nonprofit organizations
clean up toxic waste, aid the hungry, preserve the rain forests and secure human rights. At the end of the calendar year the card holder can vote to determine which among 36 groups will receive donations accumulated through the use of his or her card. Working Assets also contracts for long distance telephone service from which one per cent of all sales flows into the donations pool. When travel services are secured through a designated agent, two per cent of all sales likewise flows into the donations pool. In 1992 long distance calls, credit card and travel purchases generated over $500,000 for worthy nonprofit groups. Information regarding this credit option may be obtained by writing to Working Assets, 701 Montgomery Street, Suite 400, San Francisco, California 94111-9876. Or call Working Assets VISA at 1-800-522-7759.
Now, that more people of color are able to participate directly in the mainstream of American business enterprises, cultural establishinents and educational institutions is due in large measure to the civil rights activities of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his followers during the decade of the 1960s. The linkage between Dr. King and ahimsa mediated through Mahatma Gandhi is not well appreciated and less widely recognized. Whereas Gandhi apparently found in ahimsa the equivalent of the Christian concept of agape or disinterested love, King integrated Gandhian satyagraha into his Christian theology so that it was compatible with agape. To me this suggests that it is possible for persons of good will to take up the teachings of another religious tradition and incorporate them into their spiritual growth process. To the extent that Jains can and wish to support Christian programs that affirm the inherent worth of all human beings, they should be encouraged to do so. The world's enduring religious teachings are essentially in agreement that all persons are worthy of care and compassion. The Tattvartha Sutra of Sri Umasvami declares, in
"Wild animals never kill for sport. Man is the only one to whom the
torture to death of his fellow creatures is amusing in itself."
-James Anthony Froude 7TH BIENNIAL JAINA CONVENTION - JULY 1993
Jain Education Intemational