Jain Spirit 1999 07 No 01

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 70

SongDaxx
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INTER-FAITH:
IN THE JOY OF OTHERS, LIES OUR OWN
In the spirit of Anekantavada (Inclusive Thinking), we celebrate the achievement our fellow Swaminarayan devotees
The work of the Swaminaryan community inspired by Pramukh Swami Maharaj
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One of the most vibrant and successful community groups in the United Kingdom is the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purshottam Sanstha led by Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Founded in India in the late eighteenth century by Lord Swaminarayan, this Hindu sect has grown from strength to strength, and today boasts a large international organisation with headquarters in Gujarat, India and major branches in East Africa, United Kingdom and North America. Here in the United Kingdom, it has suddenly acquired significant fame through its building of a large and artistic temple complex in Neasden, North London, which is attracting thousands of visitors every week from all over the country and abroad. Anyone who visits this temple feels a sense of complete awe and leaves making some connection with God, with their own spiritual self. It is a monument to the existence of God, because if we examine the logistics and efforts required to build and finance it, we cannot help but admit the influence of a higher order.
Jain Spirit July-September 1999
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So what is the reason for the success and unity of this community? Why is it that it has succeeded in attracting such smiling and committed young volunteers, when many other community organisations have utterly failed? Why is it that this group has prospered in the West, when its beliefs and values are directly at odds with the prevalent values of greed, materialism and selfishness. When Mrs. Margaret Thatcher said that there is no such thing as society, only individuals, she clearly had not heard of the Swaminarayans. Here is a living and vibrant community, proving that not only is it possible to create a society, but it is likely to be much more effective than any
government or democracy can ever be. They don't need the government, but the government definitely needs the Swaminarayan community, as Mr. Nani Palkhiwala, a senior lawyer in India recently commented.
A successful community provides its members with a sense of belonging. A successful community directly looks after the welfare of its members. This means that members will not engage in crime, are unlikely to need financial support from the state, and such a group will generally lead to a strong positive influence on other people or communities who come into contact with them. The government would prefer people not to commit crime, not to be unemployed or not to require financial support. The government would also prefer not to deal with too many sick people, not to cure mental illness or depression through loneliness or isolation. Thus not only do they save millions of pounds of public expenditure, but such communities can lead to a happier lifestyle for one and all.
Pramukh Swami Maharaj has made God the focal point of all his endeavours. This may sound odd to the modern rational western student, but this community cannot be understood in any other way. The
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