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began in 1975, breaking the ancient restraint on travel.
Around 1950 a Jain monk, Shri Santbal Muniji became involved in humanitarian work in a primitive area (Bhal district) of Gujarat and established many village industries. Later around 1972, a Jain nun Acharya Chandanaji, under the guidance of her guru Shri Amar Muniji, undertook the task of establishing a humanitarian mission known as Veerayatan in Bihar India. At the time, the prevailing view was that Jain ascetics were to remain apart from compassionate causes and only focus their own soul. To this day, many Jains continue to hold this view, while many others have joined Chandanaji's mission.
These examples illustrate how Jainism has evolved in India due to changing needs of society. It is important to note that while the outward practices have changed over time, the core principles and philosophy have remained consistent. As society keeps changing, Jain perspectives will continue to evolve to take into account current circumstances. With modern society's emphasis on greed at the cost of large-scale wars, animal suffering, and environmental destruction, it is imperative for Jains to place greater emphasis on spreading the message of peace and non-violence around the world.
Sources Jaini, Padmanabh S. The Jaina Path of Purification, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Dehli, 1990. http://www.geocities.com/bhavna_shah/Jain_History.htm http://www.jainworld.com http://www.cs.colostate.edu/-malaiya Jain, Duli Chandra. Studies In Jainism: Reader 2, Jain Study Circle, Inc. 1997. Parikh, Vastupal. Jainism and the New Spirituality, Peace Publications 2002. Interview with Pravin K. Shah, Raleigh, NC.
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