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JAIN DIGEST .. May 2011
Jai Jinendra from the Jain Digest Editorial Team
Namo Aayariyanam! It has been some time now since our last issue of eJain Digest, and it has been even longer since the last print version of Jain Digest was published. It is a pleasure to bring to you this issue dedicated to Acharyas / Sadhus or Jain Teachers who have not only devoted their lives to lead the Jain Way of Life but also to teach others about Jain philosophy and tradition. This is a humble effort to compile immense amount of information on Jain Acharyas and Sadhus for a small issue of this kind. As we embarked on this task, we realized that there was a lot to cover and an exhaustive compilation is a very tall order. Clearly, we could provide only limited information even after delaying the release of this issue by over three months. The current issue of Jain Digest, offers information on the lives of a few Acharyas / Sadhus in the limited time we were able to spend on this subject. After reaching out to the community to gather information on Acharyas / Sadhus from all traditions (sects), we attempted to compile a list of the names of all the Acharyas living in the current times. There are bound to be omissions in compiling such large lists, but they would not be for lack of trying on our part. We would really like the readers, to continue sending us information about the Acharyas / Sadhus who were missed in this list so we can continue to compile this information in one place and make it available to all our readers. You will notice that we have detailed information on some of the Acharyas/Sadhus and not all of them. This is due to the wonderful opportunity that some of the members on the editorial team got to actually speak with these great Acharyas. This does not in any way suggest that the other Acharyas are of any lesser stature or importance - it is just that we did not have the opportunity to speak to them, nor anyone from the readership reached out regarding their experience with them. Again, we will be happy to include your experiences or write-ups on this in the future issue, so please send them our way. It was very impressive to see the range of style and the depth of knowledge, which each Acharya/Sadhu uses to spread the message of Jainism, and different philosophies that go with it. They are all different and unique in some respects, at the same time their message and purpose is strikingly similar. We are left with a few concerns about the role of next-generation of Jain community living in North America. Will this generation have the opportunity to interact with and benefit from coming in contact with Acharyas / Sadhus ? As the new generation keeps putting down firmer roots in this land, their travel to India and thus opportunity for such interactions will continually decline. So how do we ensure that our spiritual journey continues in this land of opportunity and Jainism finds a permanent home here? We have posed some of these questions as food for thought. and we are quite certain that we will be able to find a way to face these challenges with your feedback and suggestions. In this issue, we have started with a note from the first female JAINA president. We have also ended this Jain Digest issue with a write-up of the only female Jain Acharya. Our heart-felt Micchami Dukkadam (apologies) if we have missed any Acharya/Sadhu, from any tradition (sect) or hurt your feelings in the way we have written about the ones we have covered. While. we tried our best to present the interaction with an Acharya to the best of our ability, it is quite likely we may have misrepresented a particular conversation. In that context, we offer our sincere apologies to these great souls. Thank you and we look forward to engaging discussions on this and other topics with you.
With Warm Regards Jain Digest Editorial Team jaindigest.info@gmail.com
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