Jain Spirit 1999 10 No 02

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

Page 20

I would like to request Jains to move forward and not get constrained by trivial issues. We must look at the bigger picture, otherwise many young Jains will run away entirely from their tradition. For example, in this day and age there are thousands of Jains living in severe poverty who have no education or food for the next meal. Recently I visited a Jain family in Mumbai where the parents were both ill and the three children had nothing to eat, and I was in tears.
What are we doing for our people?
There are also thousands of Jains who are getting converted to other religions. Where are our priorities? Should we not focus our energies on removing the bigger violence and hopelessness?
Many young people like your radical views. They also feel that as Jains we have lost our priorities and are spending far too much money on temple building and similar projects and not enough on social service or basic education. They find Jainism to be a negative tradition of don'ts rather than a positive tradition of do's. Women also do not want to be discriminated against, and are having equal opportunities in the workplace, so why not the community?
All our efforts are for the new generation. Young people are interested in science, positive thinking and active service. I would like to focus on winning the young and people open to new thoughts and ideas and modernity. I am confident that this work will succeed. I also want to help liberate women and make them feel an equal part of society in every manner. They have done so much to uphold Jain values and we should encourage and respect them much more. I firmly believe that in many ways. the abilities and thinking of the young generation is far ahead and if this is harnessed by spiritual values, we can go very far as a community. Jainism has always been a radical religion - Mahavira was himself a very radical human being, so what we are doing is not different from the essence of his message.
Is Veerayatan purely a women's movement?
No. We also want to give diksha
to men and include them in our mission. Dr. Singhvi has for long emphasised the
importance of unity in the Jain community. Can you give us examples where Veerayatan has worked in co-operation with other organisations for their benefit?
We are keen to work with other organisations with a similar mission. We have worked with JAINA and Jain Social Group and Navnat Association, Young Jains and Mahavir Foundation in the UK. Rather than talking about unity, it is better to practise it by doing, through active involvement in projects. Amarmuniji spent 30 years trying to unite, but encountered huge difficulties. We are now working through action, and slowly the divisions will disappear and we will become one. I don't think this can be achieved through speeches.
In Jain philosophy, each soul is a source of wisdom and there is no higher 'guru' than that. Do you consider yourself a guru?
There is always an intimate relationship between guru (teacher) and shishya (student). The student will give full credit to the teacher, and the teacher will argue that it is the student's own
Woman of courage and vision
initiative which has brought him/her this far. This is the bhakti marg of Jainism. The guru awakens the light within the student, and the student worships the teacher. There is no bondage in this relationship, but there is worship and faithful love of the guru.
Western science progresses through self-criticism. Jainism is also a path of selfcriticism and self-perfection. In what way are you self-critical of your own work and ideals?
We have sent Sadhvi Shilapi to earn a Phd where she has to expose her own ideas and thinking to debate and criticism. In our community, I find that those who are against our work or our interpretation of Jainism do not come and talk to us face to face. They do not seem to be interested in dialogue. We find that some people oppose for the sake of opposing and lack the direct scriptural knowledge that is required in defending their arguments.
Sewa, or service to the needy is a key feature of Jainism which is often neglected.
October December 1999 Jain Spirit
19