Jains Today in World

Author(s): Pirre Paul AMIEL
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 41

12 : JAINS TODAY IN THE WORLD
Secondly, Hermann Jacobi (1850- 1927) gave the authoritative proofs of the independent nature of Jainism that was until regarded as a branch of Hinduism or Buddhism. His demonstration was made in 1879 in publishing Bhadrabāhu's Kalpa-sūtra and in 1884 in the introduction of his translations into English thereof as well as of the Acārānga-sūtra (volume 22 of the Sacred Books of the East). In 1894, he added to this series (volume 45), his translations of the Uttarādhyayana-sūtra and of the Sūtrakrtānga-sūtra that are amongst the most important treatises of the Svetāmbara Canon.
Thirdly, significant progress was made in the Western world in the knowledge of Jainism due to the contributions of two learned Jain masters: Ācārya Vijayadharma Sūri and Vijayānanda Sūri. They opened their libraries to researchers, thus providing them with correct information on the contents of Jain tenets. Armand Guérinot published his Essai de bibliographie djaina in 1906, his Répertoire d' épigraphie djaina in 1908 and his book of synthesis La Religion djaina, histoire, doctrine, culte, coutumes, institutions in 1926.Today, this last book seems to be somewhat out of date, especially concerning the transcription of Jain words, but it is to be remembered as one of the first published in French on Jainism in general. Numerous treatises and commentaries published in India, written by historians, researchers, teachers, pundits, monks, laymen and laywomen (often unpretentious but very learned) were translated into German, English, French, Japanese, etc. Several names must be cited like: the brilliant accounts and works of Ludwig Alsdorf, Ernest Bender, Maurice Bloomfield, William Brown, late Colette Caillat, Jozef Deleu, Eberhard Fischer, Mrs Adeheid Mette, R. Williams, Mr Paul Dundas, Mr John Cort, Mrs Nalini Balbir, etc.'
Fourthly, another very important reason of knowledge of Jainism in the Western world has been the contributions of several Jain religious leaders to its propagation. In September 1893, Ācārya Vijayānanda Sūri, above mentioned, was invited to attend the meeting