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Jain Diaspora
Jainism: The Cosmic Vision As many as forty families in Hong Kong celebrate the festival of Paryushan.
Looking to Jain Institutions and their activities, one feels that they should be properly organised. There should be proper distribution of activities among these Institutions. If one Institue publishes magazines, books, periodicals, another should preserve manuscripts. If one Institute undertakes to take to research about the conduct of Jains, another institute should undertake to prepare literature in English for Jain children residing in foreign countries,
Today when the east and the west come closer, all the sects of Jains tend to merge into one. It is hoped that a powerful international institution will come into existence and consequently the sermons of Tirthankaras and the Jain philosophy will resound in the universe.
[The speech delivered at the World Jain Conference,
Leicester, U.K. on 22 July 1988
[1] The bravehearts of any community are not
confined to one particular field. The Jain community, known for its enterprising spirit in business, has contributed significantly to a variety of fields. They set their foot in the uncharted Africa and then they spread their wings to myriad fields which include business, industry, management, computer technology and many others. One thing that stands out is the fact that the members of the Jain community, wherever they happen to live and work, adhere to certain principles such as ahimsa and anekant. The Jain tradition is a philosophical one and not an existential oneit is a tradition related to thought, behaviour and diet. Therefore, it is necessary to grasp the essence of this tradition to make it part of one's own life. The Jain community will have to create its own distinct identity in the modern world. It is foresighted and traditional, yet modern. We talk of
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