Jain Digest 2008 07

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

Page 10

Interfaith Committee News:
On behalf of the Interfaith Committee, Anop Vora made a presentation to the JAINA EC on August 25, 2008 about sending a delegation to the interfaith event being organized by the Council of Parliament of World's Religions (CPWR) in Australia in December of 2009.
The Parliament has been organizing major interfaith events that are of global and historical significance for many decades. The very first one was held in 1893 and became very well known especially in India because of the well publicized participation of Swami Vivekanand and of Virchand Raghavji Gandhi. This was followed by a similar event in Chicago in 1993 and in Cape Town, South Africa in 1999 where Jains Participated but in small numbers.
The last event was in Barcelona in 2004 and was attended under JAINA banner by a delegation of about 20 prominent Jains. It was comprised of monks, nuns, scholars, JAINA leaders and committee chairs and others from USA, UK, and India, coordinated by Naresh Jain and Hema Pokharna. This was a huge success in terms of making Jainism more visible to the outside world.
After the horrific episode that took place on 9/11, interfaith movement has gained a new momentum and entered into a new era. People all over the world have started opening up. The main stream America has also started realizing the importance of knowing the people, religions, cultures and values of other lands. This receptivity and openness have created a very favorable environment for sharing Jain principles and practices with the world. JAINA being the large, non sectarian organization representing our community across the globe, we have a special responsibility to promote our heritage of nonviolence and compassion and bring JAINISM to the forefront on the world platform and offer it as an option for the present day distress the world is facing.
The next Parliament event in 2009 is projected to bring in at least 10,000 people and expected to be attended by high level spiritual/religious people from all over the world. Dalai Lama has already accepted the invitation. Several other celebrity invitations are in the works. Australian government is supporting it with full gusto and enthusiasm. Interestingly the theme of the conference "Hearing each other and Healing the Earth" is very much in harmony with Jain principles. In all, this is going to be a mega interreligious event Jain community must participate in actively. JAINA must strive to get Jains in larger numbers to share and showcase our principles, culture, people and practices on global platform.
JAINA E.C. was very supportive of this proposal and is planning to discuss further how best we make our participation most effective. The current plan is to form a global delegation by inviting prominent Jains from USA, Canada, Australia, Europe including England, India, Africa, Singapore and other countries and represent our community at the 2009 parliament event. If you wish to participate in this exciting event financially or otherwise, please contact Anop Vora at 585-473-9290 or Naresh Jain at (201) 933-8963.
JAINA HEADQUARTERS MOVES TO NEW YORK
Jain Center of America (JCA) is the new home of JAINA.
Please note the address:
43-11 Ithaca Street, Elmhurst, NY 11373
Telephone: (718) 208-4435 e-mail jainahq@jaina.org
Jain Education Intemational
8/JAIN DIGEST. Fall 2008