Jain Spirit 2001 06 No 08

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

Page 24

more recently the Sharadabahen Chimanbhai Institute in Ahmedabad. They think that because these centres have been established there is no need to spend any more. There is a massive amount of important manuscripts and rare books in the L.D. Institute but not enough competent scholars who are willing to assess and interpret them. The Sharadabahen Institute in Ahmedabad is doing a great job in computerising the Sharadabahen Canons and editing texts, but it is a very slow process. Unfortunately, many people think that because such places exist, the scholarly side is taken care of; there is no need to do any more. This could not be further from the truth.
What Jains, who are by and large practical and pragmatic people, need to be reminded of is the way in which intellectual prowess can bring prestige and a sense of self-esteem to the community. They need to recall the sense of the word "prabhavana" as used in earlier times. One of the classic ways in which glory was brought to Jainism was through scholarship by prominent monks displaying their intellectual prowess in front of Hindu, Buddhist and also Moslems. The self-respect and identity of the Jain community were enhanced. Scholarship and learning were obvious ways of publicly confirming the power of the tradition to which you belonged.
I think there is an even greater need for practical guidance for the Jains living in the West where certain really hard accommodations have to be made. Even
OXFORD WORLD'S CLASSICS
way, we could promote Jain studies, organise conferences, provide academic training and at the same time provide a focus for lay people. These things do not come cheap but London would be a good base because of the libraries there. For example, the India Office Library has got a huge Jain collection of both printed books and manuscripts. Also, there is a substantial Jain community in the UK.
I think the initiative that the World Council of Jain Academies has undertaken at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies is a good one. It is easy for an academic to suggest this but if we do have some kind of intellectual focus, an institute of some sort, then Jains will be aware within their community. There should also be more academic Chairs based in India.
HEMACANDRA
THE LIVES OF THE JAIN ELDERS
A new translation by R. C. C. Fynes
on basic levels like food: for example, you go to a vegetarian restaurant or a Pizza Hut and it turns out that the cheese it uses contains rennet or that animal stock was used in the vegetarian pizza. What do you do in these circumstances? It is not a question of where you eat, but how do you engage yourself imaginatively in that sort of situation. There is a great need for this situation to be looked at practically, and also drawing on earlier resources without being dogmatic.
On a basic level, Jain Spirit is very important, especially because the method of dissemination of Jain values is a key dimension of starting the ball rolling. Jains can do something to promote scholarship and one of the initial requirements will of course be money. They should establish some sort of full-time academic post to be endowed in a prominent English speaking university to serve as a focus for Jain studies. In this
in Leicester is the author of the above book, Richard Fynes, based at DeMontfort University published by OUP, 1998. In Europe and America more and more people are taking an interest in Jain scholarship, but in India it is in decline
Scholarship In Decline
I have the impression that the Jains have been a bit inward looking, absorbed in their own concerns. Jains in India often argue that this is a difficult religion to practise if you want to take it seriously. What would Jainism be like if there were two hundred million Jains? I think it would be a rather different sort of religion. If there were a greater number of sects, I think Jainism would become seriously fragmented and things that would otherwise be regarded as basically Jain, like vegetarianism, would perhaps be diluted.
The topic of educating Jains about Jainism is a difficult one. If you publish books for youngsters, they may read them. But it is probably one in ten who will sit down and study them. I think parents have to live by example. They have to show that Jainism is something serious and not something they want to foist upon their kids. If the parents want their children to belong to the tradition, they have to talk about it; they have to show the meaning and significance of Jain culture.
Paul Dundas is a Professor at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He is one of the foremost scholars of Jainism and author of an excellent book "The Jains", Routledge, London, 1992. This is Part Two of his essay - Part One was published in Issue 7. Anil Chandaria is currently involved in a campaign to support Jain Studies at London University. If interested, please email him at ANIL@CHANDARIA.NET
June-August 2001 Jain Spirit 23