________________
Federation of Jain
Associatons In
North America
JAINA
A Report Card
by Sulekh C. Jain, President
JAIN DIGEST
I
take this opportunity to report to the entire Jain community in North America about JAINA and its past and current activities, and thus start a dialogue to seek wider feedback and participation.
What is JAINA? JAINA is a U.S. Tax Exempt religious organization. It is a federation of nearly all Jain associations in North America (U.S.A. and Canada), and thus represents the entire Jain community. Being an umbrella of associations, its aim is to provide a forum to foster fellowship and unity among various Jain communities and also to take up religious causes and issues that will benefit its member organizations.
Membership With the foresight of a few dynamic leaders of the Jain community, JAINA was started in 1981. With a founding membership of just four associations, today JAINA has grown to 40. There are several associations that are not yet members of JAINA, and we are continually striving to have them become members of JAINA.
Jain Digest The news magazine of JAINA to report news and activities of JAINA and the Jain community was started in 1985. Its style, format, quality and content as well as circulation has been improving and increasing. Indications are that it is already serving a very important role. About 5,500 copies are mailed to homes in the US, Canada, Europe, Africa, India, Japan, Singapore, Hon Kong, Bangkok and other nations. If your friends or relatives are not yet on our mailing list, please let us know.
Ahimsa Movie JAINA, along with others, was instrumental in the production of a one hour documentary on Jainism. This was shown in the US on PBS public TV. If you missed it or would like to buy a copy of this video, please let us know. Similarly, there are other videos on Jainism available, notably the Frontiers of Peace which won many international awards.
JAINA Award In 1989, in order to recognize an outstanding Jain individual in North America, JAINA instituted the JAINA AWARD. Dr. Duli Chand Jain, editor of The Jain Study Circular was the first recipient of this award. This award is conferred every two years at the JAINA convention.
JAINA Convention Since its founding in 1981, JAINA has held 5 biennial conventions in Los Angeles, New York, Detroit, Chicago and Toronto. The next, 6th, convention will be held in San Francisco, July 4, 5 & 6, 1991. These conventions in North America have become a unique gathering of monks, scholars, artists, youths and many members of Jain and non-Jain comJain Education International 2010_02
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munities from North America, Europe, Asia and India.
JAINA Libraries Availability of good, high quality and nonsectarian literature in North America has now been made possible by the establishment of two JAINA libraries. One is in Lubbock, Texas and another is in Toronto, Canada. These two libraries now house several thousand volumes (the biggest collection in North America) on Jainism in several languages like English, Hindi, and Gujarati, and in hundreds of subjects. All of you are invited to use these facilities.
Youth Activities Over the years, JAINA has organized several youth seminars and symposiums. How JAINA and the Jain community address the needs and aspirations of the youth who are growing in two cultures is of utmost importance. Some youth leaders have been identified in North America, youth forums and youth groups have started functioning in many Jain centers and soon, we hope, a national organization, "Young Jains of America," will become a reality.
The JAINA Summer Camp JAINA encourages religious summer camps for youth as well as adults. The first such regional summer camp jointly sponsored by JAINA and the Jain Center of St. Louis will be held from July 6 to July 8, 1990. We will strive to organize more camps throughout North America. Other member organizations such as IMJM, Canada, Siddhachalam and several Jain centers have been conducting such camps for many years.
Marriage Information Service To meet this important need of the Jain community, JAINA provides the following services: (a) Free matrimonial ads in the Jain Digest; (b) Computerized data bank referrals of eligible boys and girls. I urge you to make use of these services.
Education JAINA has been devoting attention to have well written, easy to understand, non-sectarian literature on Jainism made available in English. Several projects are in progress. Details of these will be published in the Jain Digest in the future.
Jain Holy Book Translation JAINA has been working with Jain organizations in UK, India and Duke of Edinburgh's Sacred Literature Trust to have several Jain Holy Scriptures (e.g., Tattavartha Sutra) translated into English and made available to libraries and others throughout the world.
Chair on Jainology at Harvard University The past two issues of the Jain Digest, several daily papers in India, and India Abroad have devoted space to this issue. Some activities are underway. This project needs active participation and cooperation of the entire world Jain Community. With will and unity of purpose, it is possible. We will report on the progress in future issues.
JAINA Visiting Scholar Program For several years, JAINA has been sponsoring and coordinating the visits of Jain scholars, monks, Bhattaraks, artists, etc. to the US and Canada. This year, too, we have a busy slate. Some guideline also have been prepared. We will continue to refine this program to meet the needs of the community.
Youth Exchange Program Some planning is in progress to organize youth exchange activities between North America, Europe and India. A contingent of youth from the UK is expected to visit the US and Canada in 1991. We hope this activity expands in the near future.
JAINA and Jain Community in News Media You probably have read the April 6, 1990 issue of India Abroad. They devoted about 3 1/2 full pages to Jains and the current issues. We www.jainelibrary.org
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