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SW
JAIN DIGEST.Winter 2007
Anop and Ashwan,
Thank you so much for your presentation and presence last night at the Baha'i Center. Please be assured that you are always welcome there, and it was our pleasure. Your teachings are important and true. Baha'is' believe that the world is in the midst of twin processes: the disintegration of long-held devisive practices and beliefs, and their replacement by the realization of the oneness of humanity. The Jain teachings contribute positively to both processes, which Baha'is believe will result in the creation of lasting world peace, the aim of all true religion. In this way, I believe that the Baha'i and Jain teachings are harmonious. You can learn more about our Faith if you wish at www.bahai.us. Again, please accept my sincere gratitude for taking the time to share with us. I look forward to our working together more in the future.
With gratitude, Carl Jain Center of Northern California Interfaith meet to counter hate crime THE Jain Center of Northern California's (JCNC) second Interfaith conference on November 4 was a success, attracting about 150 people of diverse faiths. Coming in the wake of some recent hate crimes in the SF bay area including one where a Hijab wearing Muslim woman was shot dead in Fremont, this attempt at bringing diverse faiths to reconciliation was much appreciated.
"The most interesting was that everyone seemed to have learned from each other and the commonality of thought process was laid out clearly and succinctly, which was the idea in the first place," said Karuna Jain, a member of the Jain Temple. The program began with singing of hymns by Jain and Sikh groups. The panel discussion "Seeking Truth-Perspectives from different religions” was the main offering of the day. The panelists included JCNC member Harendra Shah," representatives from Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Sikhism.“ Chetan Sanghvi moderated the discussion."
Advancement of Professional Education
in Jain Community - Ramesh Fofaria, Current President IAAMJV,
Anop R. Vora, Founder President IAAMJV. "Light is good in whatever lamp it may burn; even as a rose is beautiful in whatever garden it may bloom. Rose gives fragrance; lamp gives light. Modern education like a rose will spread the fragrance of good ideas and good thoughts; it will illumine the individuals and society like a lamp. Education brings transfiguration. A sculptor cuts away here, he smoothens there, and he makes this line lighter, this other purer, until a lovely face has grown upon his work. Similarly education transforms man and society. The cuckoo of progress will only sing with full-throated ease when modern education thrives in society." These were the visionary thoughts of a great Jain AcharyaVijay Vallabhsurishvaraji who founded Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya in 1914, an era when higher education was either discouraged or not available to many Jain students living in rural areas. The initiative of the Acharyaji culminated in the establishment of the first hostel for Jain Boys in Bombay in Feb. of 1914 which provided not only a shelter and financial help but also a platform - at the insistence of Acharyaji - for promoting Jain values and shaping their character. The International Alumni Association of Shri Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya (IAAMJV), a non profit, tax exempt association, is US based and was founded in July of 1991 at the time of JAINA Convention at Stanford, California. Its primary goal is to promote the cause of Professional Education in the Jain community irrespective of sect. Further information on IAAMJV can be obtained by going to www.iaamiv.org. At present, IAAMJV has joined hands with a local Vidyalaya Alumni Association and is in the process of establishing a Girls' Hostel in Surat. The goal is to have this hostel operational by April of 2008. Mr. Kanti Mepani, Past President of IAAMJV and Mr. Mahendra C. Shah, Current Vice President of IAAMJV are spearheading the project from the US side and Suhas Shah from Surat. Today, TAAMJV is probably the only organization outside of India that is exclusively devoted to helping bright and needy Jain students come to North America. We would like to propagate this noble concept and are very interested in helping any group of individuals in any country to establish an organization such as ours. For additional information, please contact Ramesh Fofaria, the Current President or Anop R. Vora, Founder President of IAAM]V. (For a copy of the complete article, please email jaindigest.info@gmail.com)
The program was extensively covered in Nov 17,06 issue of Indian Express (North American Edition).
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