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JAIN SPIRIT TEAM
Jain Spirit was founded in 1998 for the
following purposes:
1. To inform and inspire Jains world-wide and
people interested in Jainism:
2. To dispel myths, illusions and misinformation about the Jain tradition;
3. To help protect, preserve and promote the sacred texts, art, stories and rituals;
4. To nurture a Jain renaissance;
5. To foster a Jain solidarity, through a nonsectarian outlook;
6. To place Jainism onto the world map as a distinct religion with a deep history and philosophy:
7. To relate Jain tradition to modern concerns and lifestyle:
8. To convert Jains to Jainism.
We invite our readers to send letters, excellent Jain photos, clippings, and reports on events and encourage others to subscribe.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dr. Sulekh Jain (USA), Yogendra Jain (USA), Satish Kumar (UK), Dr. Atul Shah (UK), Dr. Surendra Sethi (USA), lla Shah (UK), Pankaj Shah (UK).
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD: Dr. John Cort, Prof. Padmanabh Jaini, Mr. Shashikant Mehta. Dr. L. M. Singhvi, Mr. Benjamin Zephaniah.
Executive Editor: Dr. Atul Keshavji Shah Consulting Editor: Satish Kumar Managers:
Michael Giannelli (USA) Dina Pankaj Shah (UK) Editorial Assistant: Vassiliki Tzomaka
Graphics & DTP:
Rajen Shah
Front Cover: Youth Editor: Cartoonist: Artists:
Preeti Jain Narendra Shah Manick Sorcar
Jayshree Khimasia
Kamal Shah
Chandu Shah, Ashok Shah Narendra Shah
St. Ives PLC, London
Caprin Limited. London
Kenya, India, UK.
North America Young Jains (UK),
Mahavir World Vision (USA) Parimal Pandya, parimal.pandya@yahoo.com www.jainspirit.org
Photographs:
Printers: Colour film: Distribution:
Publishers:
Web Master:
Jain Education International
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EDITORIAL
Dear Jain Spirit readers,
It is with great pleasure and excitement that I write the editorial of the inaugural issue of Jain Spirit. The mission of this magazine is simple: to make one of the oldest religions of the world accessible to people from all walks of life. We are hoping to reach out to both Jains and non-Jains and the contents are designed to appeal to both young and old. Through the pages of Jain Spirit, we wish to make the fundamental values of Jainism understandable. We also wish to celebrate its great wisdom and beauty by portraying the very best of Jain art, history, culture and philosophy. Recognising the great strengths of the past, we wish to move to the present. In particular, we hope to make this tradition accessible by the young generation, as they are the key to its future.
With this in mind, this first issue contains articles on philosophy, lifestyle, worship, art, youth, kids, environment, history and workplace. The contributors include eminent scholars like Prof. Padmanabh Jaini and Acharya Mahapragya and youngsters like Neel Bhuva who is eighteen years old. We have interviewed campaigners like Dr. Michael Tobias and Mrs. Maneka Gandhi and artists like Mrs. Jayshree Khimasia and Mr. Kamal Shah. We also provide news of major Jain events all over the world. There is no doubt that the Jain tradition has had a long and distinguished heritage, and this is still alive in the hearts and minds of all Jains in different degrees. We would like you to read the pages that follow and give us any comments or suggestions you may have for the kinds of articles and information you would like to see in future issues. Jain Spirit is from all Jains for all Jains. Our mission is non-sectarian, and we hope this magazine will help Jains to see the significant scope for unity without compromising the rich diversity of Jainism as it is lived today.
We sincerely wish that you will take some time out to savour Jain Spirit and share it with your friends and relatives. If you like what you read, please help us to reach out to more and more people by acting as our ambassadors. Photocopy the subscription form and give it to your friends - you are our best promoters, and we promise you valuable punya points! In this way, you will help keep the great Jain tradition alive in the hearts and minds of people wherever you live. Such actions will provide valuable encouragement to the team and all our supporters.
A large number of people have helped us to come this far. These include the authors of the articles, artists, photographers, financial supporters, publishers and volunteers. We are grateful to all of them for their support at such a crucial stage. We hope we can continue to count on this support in the future, and more of you will come forward to help this project succeed.
Jai Jinendra,
Atul K. Shah, Executive Editor United Kingdom, July 1999 Email: editors@jainspirit.org
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