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Contents
President's Message
Headquarters News ............... 4 Calendar of Events ................ 6 For Your Information............... 6 Regional News.......................... Affiliate News ...................... Committee News .................. 1995 Convention Program ...... International News ................ Satya, the Truth Publication Fund ....
.......... Happy Occasions................... New Life Members ............... Matrimonials ................... Letters to the Editor ...............
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From the Editor
The most visible aspect of JAINA for the society is to see Lord Mahavir's preaching put into practice. The cover of this issue honors that practice, as in building fifty-five houses in Jain Nagar, supporting Bhartiya Jain Sanghatana in raising and education 1,000 orphaned children and fasting for 201 days by Shri Sahajmuni Maharaj for self purification and world peace. In addition, the annual medical camp touches lives of thousands of people in India. It is a matter of great pride that the Jain religion is now being studied at prestigious western universities. We can all be proud of these achievements and resolve to actively participate in the future activities that promote the Jain religion.
We acknowledge the long hours spent by the Chicago team to make the upcoming convention a grand success. The Youth wing is seeking your suggestions to make this a memorable event. The twelve-page center section is filled with useful information as you plan your visit to Chicago.
Your assistance is needed in keeping the mailing list of the Jain Digest up to date. Our limited resources are wasted when many copies come back with "forwarding address not known". Other Jains wish to get the magazine. So if you move, please inform us in a timely fashion. Jai Jinendra.
Harshad Shah
It is with great pleasure that I share with you some of my thoughts about how we have been changing the course of the history of Jainism by forging unity among all Jains living in North America and focusing attention on the practice and preaching of Non-Violence. The cornerstone of Jainism, Non-Violence is the need of the hour, call of the day, demand of the time and the answer to numerous problems faced by the society in our adopted homelands - the United States and Canada.
With the pioneering work and blessings of Acharya Sushil Kumar Ji and Gurudev Chitrabhanuji, we have established the first common Jain Teerth outside of India at Siddhachalam, NJ; built several common Jain temples in North America and formed JAINA as an umbrella organization of all the Jain centers in North America. These accomplishments are important landmarks in our endeavor to build a united Jain Community in North America so that we may retain our heritage.
JAINA has been instrumental in bringing about this unity among Jains through its numerous activities including the Biennial Conventions. We have had seven conventions so far. Each Convention has been a growing success. Now every Jain's eyes are fixed on Chicago where the 8th Convention will be held along with the Pratistha of 24 Tirthankars. These twin events will be a once-in-a-life-time experience. The JAINA Conventions have become a great attraction not only for the Jains of North America but also for those living in India and elsewhere. The JAINA Convention provides a great opportunity for participation in religious, social and cultural activities for people of all ages. At present, we are extremely busy in planning the Chacago convention. We want to make it a spectacular convention and have formed a Convention Planning Board which includes the chairs of committees from the Chicago Jain Society and representatives of JAINA from all over North America.
The Chicago Jain Temple will be an attraction to the attendees of the Pratishtha and convention. This temple is the largest Jain temple built outside India. It is a symbol of unity representing all the sects of Jainism and therefore a place of pilgrimage. Several common temples have been built or are under construction in North America. The JAINA convention is a helpful format in which to strengthen this wave of unity.
JAINA is on the world map of humanitarian activities because of the numerous philanthropic activities undertaken by its World Community Service. The WCS has been putting Lord Mahavir's preaching into practice through its many activities: the recent construction of Jain Nagar for the victims of the earthquake that struck Maharashtra, the contribution to the Rwanda Relief Fund and plan to donate funds to educate the orphaned children of the earthquake are shining examples of JAINA 's involvement in the humanitrian work effort.
The JAINA Charitable Trust and the newly established President's Advisory Council will play crucials role in making JAINA a more stable, professional and truly democratic organization. The former will provide the financial stability and the latter the benefits of their leadership experience. In additon, the new mail-in ballot election proceedure for JAINA's executive committee for the next two years will enable every director to exercise his/her voting right.
We all are volunteers and have been able to undertake all this work only because of your continued support and trust. If we have not met your expectations in the discharge of our duties, we apologize. Michhami Dukkadam.
See you in Chicago.
Sincerely,
Jagat Jain
March 1995 Jain Education international
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