Jain Spirit 2003 02 No 13

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

Page 3

WELCOME
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Dear Readers,
Jainism is a very ancient tradition, but its values are very timely and 'modern'. The world is beginning to acknowledge the beauty of non-violence, the health benefits of vegetarianism, the need for respect and tolerance, and the potential of forgiveness. These values lie at the core of the Jain tradition, which is so often misunderstood or even ignored or forgotten. Even among religious teachers and experts today, Jainism is little known and understood. We have a very big challenge ahead of us to inform and educate.
Jain Spirit has a unique role to play in raising the awareness and removing the misunderstanding or misconceptions of Jainism. At the same time, through its non-sectarian approach, it enables Jains from different sects to appreciate the beauty and strength of other world-views without necessarily compromising their own. It presents the tradition as a unified whole with many different parts, without distorting its inner beauty and unity. In the years to come, this approach will reap huge rewards for the upcoming generation, removing their confusion and empowering them to be the best of themselves with a deep sense of soul identity.
I have spent a lot of time in August with young people in UK. I am amazed by their thirst for wisdom, their desire to come together and learn about their own tradition. The students organising the Jain assembly at Haberdashers Askes School in Hertfordshire near London (both boys and girls) are begging for Jain speakers to come and address them, because they are hungry. University students at Manchester, Warwick and even Leicester and Birmingham want to set up a national body of Young Jain Students to keep alive their culture on campus, in the same way that the National Hindu Students Forum is doing so ably for Hindus. This gives all of us a lot of hope. A young boy called Dhruv Shah recently came to the UK to study from Mombasa, and was able to recite the whole Pratikraman flawlessly and confidently during Paryushan. His local community in London was spellbound by this mastery, and he gave them tremendous hope for the future. These are the benefits of globalisation. In North America, the Young Jains of America convention in New Jersey was attended by 900 delegates. It attracted a lot of new young speakers, giving them a vital platform. In San Francisco, Dar-Es-Salaam, Singapore, Perth, and many different world cities, Jains celebrated their Paryushan festival with energy and vibrancy.
In this issue, we have articles on Pilgrimage, Mindfulness, Motherhood, Art, Venture Philanthropy, History and Philosophy. I am always amazed by the deep well of knowledge that lies in the tradition and the beauty of our openness. Not all writers in Jain Spirit are born in the
Young people are thirsty to learn about their culture and roots. The above photo was taken at the Young Jains post-convention trip in Yorkshire, England in August 2002.
Jain tradition. For example, Reuben Thuku who has written an outstanding article in our inter-faith section is a Kenyan African who happens to be blind. However, his knowledge of spirituality is inspiring, and he is able to communicate this very simply and beautifully. Reading this article will make you realise how unique his vision is.
I strive to ensure that Jain Spirit practices what it preaches. I am very grateful to the entire team of staff and volunteers within the UK and worldwide who constantly support and promote the magazine as if it were their own. Thank you very much. We would like every Jain anywhere in the world to take ownership of Jain Spirit, and not only subscribe and read it for themselves, but actively pass it on to others and encourage them to subscribe too. If others understand our culture better, it will unite and strengthen us even more. We appeal to leaders of Jain organisations all over the world to take similar ownership and promote the magazine actively, without waiting for us to contact them. In turn, the local Jain organisation will benefit from an enlightened membership. For news coverage, we rely on readers all over the world to send us quality news and photos on a timely basis, with accompanying text and captions. If you don't tell us, we will be unable to tell the world.
Take ownership of
Jain Spirit and spread it wherever you go
The poster in this issue is for you to display at your local Jain centre, business or home.
Jai Jinendra,
Atul K. Shah
Executive Editor editor@jainspirit.com