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प्रव
Dear Jain Spirit Readers,
Thank you very much for your support and subscription to this new venture to promote the understanding and awareness of one of the oldest religions in the world. Many of you were very generous with your comments on the first issue, explaining how informative, artistic and thought provoking it was. We are deeply grateful for your blessings, support and good wishes. The second issue is now finished and we have tried our level best to keep in step with the inaugural issue and improve on any mistakes.
EDITORIAL
This issue celebrates the great work of spreading Jain values globally by two of our most distinguished leaders, Acharya Chandanaji and Dr. Laxmi Mal Singhvi. They speak of the deep wisdom of Lord Mahavir and his vision. In particular, they are both keen to relate the past to the present and promote the practical usefulness and applicability of Jainism today. In these articles, you will find gems of wisdom which you may want to discuss with your friends and family to clarify your own understanding. Satish Kumar provides a striking portrayal of 'Less is More' where he reminds us of the tremendous importance of simplicity. And practice it we must, if we are to call ourselves true Jains. In 'A Parrots Training'. Rabindranath Tagore examines the weaknesses of systematized education, showing that we should not give too much weight to the education in schools, colleges and universities and encourage individuals to express their own creative urges. Dr. Jains out there, please don't force your children to also become replica Dr. Jains!
This issue reports on the largest Jain convention in the Western World, the JAINA convention which is held biennially in North America. Last July, this event attracted seven thousand Jains and the distinctions between Shvetambara, Digambara, Sthanakvasi, Deravasi, were not visible and Jains all came together as one. The events and exhibition demonstrated a tremendous energy among Jains living outside India to keep their tradition and promote it. Any visitor to this event would go back thinking that Jains, wherever they may live, are taking pride in their culture and are making efforts to practice Jain values and unite.
Once again, we have paid a lot of attention to art and presentation in our magazine. Ravi Paranjape talks about how he uses art to promote harmony, and his work is truly melodious. Chandu Shah's photography helps us to reach some of the inner depths of Jainism through our eyes and his art. Lavinia Plonka talks about art as an innate quality of each soul - so start sketching, or singing, or dancing or acting. It is art which has played a vital role in keeping Jainism alive, and our breathtaking temples continue to draw thousands of people, as Cromwell Crawford explains in his article on their significance. The poetry of Benjamin Zephaniah and twelve year old Neha is also truly inspiring, showing how words and literature are also sacred to the soul.
As you can see, we have worked very very hard to give you the best of Jainism in an understandable and creative way. We would like you to respond by becoming true ambassadors of this tradition, and promote the magazine in every which way. Please give gift subscriptions to your friends and relatives, or encourage them to subscribe. We find that some people hate filling out subscription forms, so perhaps you can do it for them, and they will be most pleased with your simple gesture in time to come. Young people love this magazine but do not always have the money to subscribe to it - it is the duty of elders to sponsor their interest, and send it to them at their colleges or universities so that they keep connected. Who knows, even their friends may get inspired by the magazine. Let us together create a chain reaction such that by the year 2000, the whole world begins to acknowledge the special place that Jainism deserves in human history.
Jai Jinendra.
Atul K. Shah
Executive Editor
Email: editors@jainspirit.org
Details of Jain Spirit team and distribution network are on page 13.
Jain Education International 2010-03
For Private & Personal Use Only
October December 1999 Jain Spirit
www.jainelibrary.org
