Jain Digest 1995 04

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 36

YOUNG JAINS
AMÉRICA
Mintu Turakhia is the course coordinator of "South Asian be limited to the "now even harder to get to" pathshala classes. It 98/198: Jainism in the Modern World," the first ever completely
would be relatively easy to start a Jain student association, student-run, university-approved seminar on Jainism at the University of California at Berkeley. The course aims to study the funda
especially since UC Berkeley has over 400 registered student mentals of Jain religion and philosophy, and progress towards groups. However, a college mini-Jain center could never provide contemporary issues affecting the Jain Diaspora such as vegetarian- the satisfaction of learning more about the religion from inside of ism, occupational choices, and sexuality. The course also aims to
the classroom. examine social issues including overpopulation, homelessness, and euthanasia in the context of Jain philosophy.
During the next two years of college, I found many other Ithough there exists a substantial number of Asian and students who shared my plight and were very interested in taking
South Asian Studies departments scattered at Col- a Jainism class. Although many were friends or familiar faces from
leges and Universities across America, less than a our local Jain Center, there were still many others who expressed handful offer courses dedicated to
interest in taking the class out of personal Jainism and Jain Studies. Of the courses
interest. "A lot of my friends, including that are offered, most are research
my roommate, are Jain, and I want to oriented, graduate-level courses,
get a better understanding of why which are way above the level of
they live their lives the way they the general student. Upon en
do," said one senior, now taktering the University of Cali
ing the class. "The whole fornia at Berkeley, I was
philosophy sounds very delighted to learn that not
GOES TO SCHOOL non-judgmental and only does the school have a reputed South
open-minded, and that interests me," and Southeast Asian Studies Department, but offers an under- said another class student. The need was established; now it was graduate course on Jainism as well: "South Asian 160: Jainism and simply a matter of pushing our way through university bureaucOther Heterodox Systems." The opportunity to take such a class racy. added to my college freshman excitement. Unfortunately, after further inquiry, I learned that the class was no longer being taught, Fortunately at Berkeley, there is already a mechanism that and that other South Asian classes at Berkeley devoted relatively simplifies the task of getting student-run courses approved: DElittle time to Jainism. It seemed that Jainism was virtually dead in Cal (Democratic Education at Cal), a University-sponsored orthis part of Academia, and that my knowledge of the subject would
JAIN DIGEST Jain Education Intemational
34
March 1995.org