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15th Biennial JAINA Convention 2009
Jain organizations in London. About 3,000 Jains, young and old, and from all different traditions came together for two days to what seemed like another JAINA Convention. Scholars from India were invited. The program consisted of lectures, pooja, a cultural program by youngsters, sumptuous vegan meals and exhibits - all under one roof. What I witnessed was a birth of a JAINA-like entity for the United Kingdom and they call this new organization JAINS UK!
India and many parents in India visit their children in the United States or Canada for extended periods of time. National boundaries are less significant now and today people are more open to new ideas.
For Jain Diaspora to reach its goal of Jain unity, we have many helpful tools.
On the third day there was a meeting of the leaders of all the United Kingdom Jain groups with invited guests from overseas. At that meeting I⚫ offered JAINA's hand of cooperation to their unity movement, specifically in printing additional JAINA calendars with information about their various groups. They instantly applauded the idea⚫ and promised to follow up. They also agreed to publicize JAINA Pilgrimage to their members so they may participate in a joint yatra. They are sending a small delegation to our 2009 convention as a further desire to work together and are thinking of holding a Jain Diaspora meeting in London in the year 2010.
The largest population of Jains outside of India is in North America and the second largest is in the United Kingdom. Many of the Jains of the United. Kingdom have their roots in Kenya - a country with the third largest Jain population outside of India. Jain Diaspora can bring all these groups together and plan for additional joint projects. It⚫ is important to note that Jain Diaspora is not a separate organization. It is a JAINA forum for all the Diaspora members to share ideas and plan areas of cooperation. This December, there is a plan for a large medical camp in Palitana where volunteers from various countries will work together and participate in relief operations.
By setting examples of international cooperation, we can influence unity movements in India. After all, Indian Diaspora gave birth to two revolutions. in India India's independence movement in 1930 and the 1940's, and it was the Indian Diaspora of Techies who brought the information technology revolution to India. Jain Diaspora can bring unity of Jains everywhere. The fact is, Jains all over the world look at JAINA with admiration and as a model of Jain unity. Many of our first generation immigrants spend part of their year in
Ecology - The Jain Way
The modern communication tools of email, websites, blogs, et cetera are natural favorites of Jains.
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Monthly newsletters like Ahimsa Times from Delhi or the JAINWORLD.com website are already used by thousands of Jains worldwide.
JAINA Education Committee's eLibrary project launched two years ago, has scanned more than 1,000 Jain books (over 325,000 pages) in various languages and covering all traditions - including much rare literature. This was achieved at the cost of $35,000 and further, $25,000 in expenditure is planned over the next three years. Items will be made available for free world wide to students and scholars alike.
A mammoth project of cataloging of Jain manuscripts in the British Museum by the Institute of Jainology.
International Summer School for Jain Studies, in its fourth year, has already taken 72 students (undergraduate or post graduate), full-time professors and researchers from universities around the world to India to give them intensive classroom teaching and showcase the Jain community, its rich culture and living traditions. This year ISSJS also conducted a month long seminar in Thailand for 17 Buddhist scholars.
We also have a hidden asset, our youth. For most of them, being Jain is sufficient. They do not identify with any sects. They are also united by a common language.
All of the above are examples of noble efforts by Jains Without Borders. No national borders, no linguistic borders, no sectarian borders-this is the making of Jain Diaspora.
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