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WELCOME
DIGITAL IMAGE: JAMES MATURIN-BAIRD
"The best leader is one who is invisible"
Dr. Parveen Jain
Whenever we embark on something new, there is tremendous excitement, enthusiasm and hope. Four years ago Jain Spirit magazine was launched with this spirit in North America and in the UK. At the time, there was no international magazine on Jainism, and even today this is the only one of its kind. The journey has been most challenging and fun, and we have now published seventeen magazines thanks to the support of a large number of volunteers and well-wishers. We would like to thank you all for sharing this dream and helping us come this far. With this foundation, we can only grow and in Jain culture we have a vast reservoir of wisdom which we can always tap.
We are living in the best of times and the worst of times. Science and technology have made our lives easier and more comfortable, and education and democracy has helped the equality of opportunity. Material prosperity is common amongst educated people all over the world. However, this is not leading towards peace. There is increasing tension not only between countries but also between and within families. The human spirit somehow does not seem to be at peace. It feels as if we are unable to access that which is free and infinite within us. We are constantly groping externally for happiness and security. Terrorism is spreading fear in society, and its definition seems to be increasingly blurred. In some parts of the world, law and order are breaking apart and hope is disappearing. Increasingly, the world is getting more divided between the rich and the poor. A recent United Nations report demonstrates that poverty is spreading because of globalisation. Slavery is not dead at all, says a recent cover story in the National Geographic magazine. There is also significant economic slavery, and the ethic of modern business seems to be exploitation, exploitation and more exploitation for profit, profit and more profit. This state of affairs is clearly unsustainable.
Where does Jainism fit into all this? Firstly, it demonstrates a way towards peaceful living which is very practical, scientific and healing. Secondly, it has a track record of thousands of years. We are not talking about peace or non-violence or even ecology because it is fashionable today. The Jain tradition did not talk about protection of animals when there was food poisoning, or about protection of the environment when the ozone layer was being destroyed. Animals should be protected not only for their welfare but also for human welfare, say the Jains. Similarly, the environment is sacred in and of itself, and deserves to be preserved.
Through our conversations with readers all over the world, we are discovering that a large number of Jains are still confused about the basic principles of Jainism. Similarly, non-Jains wish to know about these and also about Jainism's core values, as there is so little literature available. Somehow it seems, despite all the lectures and events Jains organise all over the world, that for a large number of people
there is a big problem with basic understanding. Good introductory books on Jainism are rare. Quality information on the scientific basis of Jainism is also missing from public libraries, let alone personal ones. As Bipin Shah highlights in his Viewpoint, there is not a single professorship on Jainism anywhere in the western world. A lot of work needs to be done to avert this situation, and one of the first requirements of this is unity. We must cooperate rather than compete, and avoid duplication and wastage of scarce resources. Leaders should be there to serve the community, not to boost their own popularity. As Dr. Parveen Jain, a pioneer of the Jain temple in San Francisco said during his recent visit to London, the best leader is one who is invisible. We urgently need good 'invisible' leadership in the community and, of course, good dedicated members who will collectively work to take the whole tradition forward. Also, we need to focus more and more on the youth, who are going to be the torchbearers of the tradition in the future.
Happy Reading!
Atul K. Shah
Executive Editor editor@jainspirit.com
ain Education International 2010_03
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