Jain Spirit 2002 06 No 11

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

Page 27

Home Away From Home
of the Civil Rights Movement. Though a Christian Minister, he baptised this Gandhian Movement. By this act of linking ahimsa with protest and politics, Rev. Martin Luther King has forever linked Jain ideals with American freedom. When he said 'we shall overcome', he was speaking like a Jina.
We are not aliens or strangers in this land, we are not immigrants - on the sacred soil of American freedom Jains are in their rightful home away from home.
destroy the stereotype that Jainism promotes a culture that shuns politics and is a world-denying religion. This does not reflect historic reality. The word politics is derived from the Latin word for city and the Jains have generally been citydwellers. They have been accustomed to living in a political mix.
Professor Jaini states: "A cardinal feature of the sramana movements which arose in India in around 550 B.C. was the emphasis upon the superiority of the princely class (kshatriya), both in a spiritual context or a secular one. Hence these movements tended to find common cause with the local kings, who were themselves engaged in constant fight against claims to supremacy of the brahman class."
In practical ways, the relationship between the Jain communities and the royals was reciprocal - a quid pro quo. Indian kings were duty-bound to support all religions, but their special support for any one religion enhanced its prestige and popularity immensely. Village taxes were handed over to the mendicant community. The kings built temples, erected statues and sponsored literary and artistic projects. Jains were appointed to serve as ministers in government, and the people had easier access to the courts. Most beneficial of all, the royal patronage afforded the Jain community with stability. Without having to migrate to greener pastures, they dug in and prospered. For their part, the kshatriyas benefited most by the support of the Jain community which, though small in numbers, was quite influential
The overarching inspiration for the Jain-kshatriya connection was the fact that Lord Mahavir himself was of royal lineage. Some of his larger activities were held in the capital of Magadha, whose king, Srenika, was sympathetic to the Jain community and he himself converted to the faith.
Similarly, Jains survived and prospered with the support of the Nanda dynasty that was in power till the 4th century BC and was succeeded by the patronage of Chandragupta Maurya, a disciple of Bhadrabahu. It is remarkable to note the role of the monk as 'king-maker' in this engagement of Jainism and politics.
From the earliest times the Jain communities have been keenly aware of political engagement as a means of survival. They have not chosen to live in cultural ghettos as marginalised minorities, but have migrated to urban centres where the action is. They have become involved and, as a result, the influence of Jainism upon the life of India has always exceeded its numbers.
The most monumental connection between Jain ideals and politics was through their amalgamation in the 'Quit India movement of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji took ahimsa out of the temples and on to the streets. The Jain scriptures (Naladiyar) say: "Non-injury is religion. It is not a part of religion, an addendum, a piece of pious embroidery - it is religion."
Meanwhile in America, Martin Luther King studied Gandhi's non-violent strategy and made ahimsa the hallmark
The lessons of history say to the Jains of America: You must not privatise your faith, holding that such evils as racism are 'political' and not religious' issues. Their discussion will only divide the community. You must not be escapists by avoiding political responsibility. You are not called upon to form a political party but to become committed to work within the multi-party system in this country. You must not support particular candidates or parties that come and go, but uphold principles by which all people are held accountable, be they Republicans or Democrats. You must be pro-life and pro-family, but it should stop short of being identified with specific lobbyists. You must stand for democracy, not bureaucracy; for justice and not dependency; for participation and not power; for substance and not style or showmanship.
•
This type of political engagement gloriously came to pass on 22 May 2001. On that day Jains made history when, on behalf of the Jain Association of North America, Gurudev Chitrabhanuji offered a prayer in the House of Representatives in celebration of the 2600th Birth Anniversary of Lord Mahavir. Thanks to the initiatives of Dr Sushil Jain and Dr Manoj Dharamsi, Congressman Frank Pallone organised the event. Chitrabhanuji's prayer ended with, "May all beings be interested in one another's well-being. May all faults be eliminated. May people be happy everywhere. Om Shanti! Shanti! Shanti!" Prayer in Jainism is essentially a sermon to ourselves. I therefore call upon the Jains of America to take this initiative again and again until this prayer is repeated in all of the State assemblies to which you belong back home, and most importantly, take a vow that some day soon this prayer will be uttered in the hallowed halls of the U.S. Senate.
Cromwell Crawford is a Professor at the University of Hawaii and a member of the advisory board of Jain Spirit.
|
June - August 2002. Jain Spirit
25
Jain Education Interational