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Jainism: The Cosmic Vision for marriage and take to all sorts of social activities.
Other organisations in Britain are Vanik Samaj, Mahavira Foundation, Navyug Jain Pragati Mandal, Bhakti Mandal. etc. They are all contributing their might to promote religious and cultural values of life. 'Young Jains' is a small independent organisation active in inculcating high values in young Jains of Britain. Young Indian Vegetarians are busy spreading the great ideal of vegetarianism. Organisations in Britain are active. People are dedicated and sincere,
But they need to achieve one thing, and that is to eliminate divisions in the Jain community. Jains in America have already done this. They do not distinguish themselves as Shwetambar, Digambar, Sthanakvasi, Deravasi, Oshwal or Navanit.
Britain is a small country inhabited by 25 thousand or more Jains. It is now high time, something is done to establish a Chair on Jainism in some British Universities. It is also advisable that proper use is made of the ancient Jain manuscripts which are kept and preserved in the British Museum Library.
Activities of Jain Religion in the Last Century Mission, Aliganj in Uttar Pradesh is responsible for the pioneering work of influencing and admitting westerners to the Jain religion.
The Jain settlers from India were mostly professionalsengineers, physicians and professors. Most of these early settlers in effect had come under the influence of the World Jain Mission and its founder, late Dr. Kamata Prasad Jain, who had started spreading Jainism among interested intellectuals around the world.
The numerical strength of Jain settlers in North America provided an impetus to an array of activities in Jain communities across North America. Many Jain organisations came into existence and they warranted religious directions and guidance in practising the Jain way of life based on the teaching of the Tirthankaras, The Jain communities espoused all the basic tenets preached in the tradition by the Jain saints of post Mahavira era. This is unique of Jains in North America, it could be heralded as the great Renaissance in the Jain religion to bring about harmony, fraternity and fundamental integration in socio-religious structure of Jainism.
The force of Jain communities in North America paved the way for many Jain monks, nuns, Bhattarakas, scholars to visit their communities in order to bring awareness to the Jain consciousness.
Cataloguing the achievements, consolidating and characterising them with organisational functions and publicising them, need an array of individual volunteers and institutions. A monolithic task it is to channelise the strength of the interested individuals into a cohesive force of an organisation. In this direction it has been a successful story.
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Institutions in America
The North American continent comprises of two nations, the United States of America and Canada. The time of arrival of Jains in North America is uncertain and no date either of their arrival or of their settlement is available. But there were Jains in North America before Jains arrived here from India. The original Jains of North America were those who had embraced the Jain religion as far back as forties or earlier. The evidences are many in Jain periodicals and writings both in India and in North America. Late Dr. Kamata Prasad Jain of the World Jain
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