Jain Spirit 1999 10 No 02

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

Page 19

FEATURE
WOMAN OF COURAGE AND VISION
he only Jain woman Acharya
Tin this century, AcharyaChandanaji
talks passionately about her mission to protect Jain culture and heritage. She holds unconventional views about some of the traditional restrictions which many young people find impractical and discriminatory in today's society. At Veerayatan, they have started a new movement which encourages Jains to actively engage in social and community service, in addition to their spiritual practices. She talks to Jain Spirit about her views and aspirations.
It was Amarmuniji's great hope that Jains should keep alive the place where Lord Mahavira preached the essence of Jainism. In the state of Bihar, the small town of Rajgir was one of the most sacred shrines. It is a sad fact that Bihar is one of the poorest and most lawless states of India today. Veer stands for Mahavir and Yatan stands for Holy Place. Lord Mahavir spent 14 Chaturmas in Rajgir so this is a very holy place. We started by providing basic education and support to the local community through food and medical camps. We now have a fully equipped hospital where nearly 10,000 patients are treated every month and 600 operations take place. Every day the demand for medical services is increasing due to the surrounding poverty and illiteracy. So our mission is to revive the local area
Acharya Chandanajibu
and create a major centre for Jain Pilgrimage. We also want to provide employment for the local women.
Amarmuniji was a very radical and innovative saint in the history of modern Jainism. He had a detailed knowledge and understanding of Jain scriptures and was fully committed to promoting Jainism in the modern world in any way possible. Although he encountered
Can you please explain the mission of Veerayatan? significant criticism he was always open
to dialogue. He explained that what
is written in the scriptures were not the exact words of Mahavir, as texts were written several hundred years after he died. Mahavir believed in non-discrimination and Amarmuni implemented this through my appointment. He was never afraid of opposition and stood up for what he believed to be right. I took Diksha (renunciation) in 1951 at the age of 14 and spent 12 years in silence studying the scriptures and languages.
You are the first and only Jain woman Acharya in the 20th century. This appointment was both radical and controversial.
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You hold controversial views about Jain diet and the women's menstrual cycle. Please explain and defend these views.
Many Jains believe that the eating of root vegetables is very violent and should be avoided. I believe that there are many other areas in which a worse violence is committed. For example, Jains
October December 1999
Taraben Shah of London serving the poor in remote parts of Gujarat
Inanamsbraut 16 nomben nicoti
Ruinely
Acharya Chandanaji
consume dairy products and wear silk, which in the modern day is very violent. I believe that there are many more serious and urgent issues facing the community than the issue of root vegetables. In fact, farming could also be regarded as very violent, as, in the very act of digging the land and harvesting the crop, millions of insects and micro-organisms are destroyed. However, Lord Mahavir did not prohibit farming- he recognised that some degree of violence was inevitable in life. I am not saying that those who do not eat underground vegetables should change their habits, but what I am saying is that a vegan diet (without milk products) is definitely less violent than a lacto-vegetarian diet without root vegetables.
Even the restrictions on sea or river crossing for saints are untrue. Lord Mahavir had to regularly cross the Ganges river to do his preaching, and he did it on a boat, reciting the navkar mantra at the same time. This is written in our scriptures very clearly. There were many wide rivers he had to cross to preach Jain values.