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Jains and essential for maintaining right conduct youth group JOY uses Facebook to help organize throughout our lives. Mahavir Swami taught us that and coordinate Jain events. The JSGD website has all livings beings, regardless of their size, shape, age useful links for the entire Jain community and the or complexity, are equal and that we should have Jain Paathshala uses the website to share homework respect and compassion for all life. However, one assignments and notes. But with the internet and important thing to remember is that Jainism existed globalization, we have a chance to impact not just long before Mahavir Swami-he helped reestablish the local Jain community, but the entire world. the Jain Sangh and reorganize it to correspond to that time period. Thus, we should learn from him Technology has infinite potential for creating and try to adapt Jainism more and more to our daily positive change in the world. In fact, the use of lives, however complex they may be.
Facebook and Twitter was essential in coordinating
the 2011 Arab Spring revolutions. People in Other Jain leaders have successfully incorporated countries like Egypt used websites like Facebook to religion into their lives and made a broad impact plan and organize events that eventually led to the on the world. Shrimad Rajchandra (1867-1901) was overthrow of their dictator. Websites like YouTube a spiritual mentor to Mahatma Gandhi and taught have a great potential today for education and him about the Jain perspectives on non-violence learning. For anything that we need help with in our and compassion. He helped make Jainism more lives, both academic and non-academic, the answer accessible to the world by contributing greatly to can usually be found on YouTube through a simple, the work of Jain literature. He presented Mahavir instructive video. Websites like Khan Academy use Swami's teachings in simple Gujarati and Hindi YouTube to create thousands of lessons on nearly so it could be understood by the public. There are every school subject that are all available for free other Jains who have tried to spread the teachings for everyone to learn from. The infrastructure for of Jainism - Virchand Gandhi (1864-1901) was a learning on the internet is already there - so what Jain scholar who represented Jainism at the 1893 can we do as Jains to help? World Parliament of Religions. He played a great role in spreading knowledge of Jainism to America One key thing for us to do is realize the potential of the and also contributed greatly to Jain literature in internet in shaping the century ahead with regards to English. Now in the 21th century, we too have a Jainism. One hundred years ago, if someone wanted unique opportunity to help contribute to the vision of to learn the Logassa Stotra, they would have to find Jainism. Never before have we had a medium such someone who already knows it. However, now, as the internet to facilitate the spread of knowledge one can simply listen to it on YouTube and learn it and learning. We can utilize the technologies of that way. Along with that, the full text and meaning the 21th century to help spread Jain principles and in English of most Jain prayers are now available teachings just as Shrimad Rajchandra and Virchand online for all to see. By becoming more aware of Gandhi have done in the past.
the potential for teaching Jain principles online, we
benefit by gaining access to a limitless supply of It is no secret that living a Jain lifestyle in North knowledge. Online forums and discussion boards America can be difficult. Foods we may not suspect provide opportunities for both youth and adults to might have un-Jain ingredients, the majority of discuss Jainism. Along with this, the beauty of the our peers and colleagues are non-vegetarian, and internet is that anyone can contribute to the wide increasing modernization sometimes leads to the expanse of Jain knowledge available on the internet. violation of Jain values - but instead of viewing With access to a camera or web cam, anyone can modern technology as the culprit here, we can use make YouTube videos and help create lessons that it to help us live a Jain lifestyle and make our lives can be viewed by the entire world. The internet easier. This is not a new concept; technology is gives us the the opportunity to share knowledge and already being used effectively at our temple. The preserve it forever.
Jainism: The Global Impact
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