Jains in India and Abroad

Author(s): Prakash C Jain
Publisher: International Summer School for Jain Studies

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4. I mentor others, listen to my colleagues and conduct my
business with care and compassion. 5. Both my work and family life are strong and balanced. I do non
profit work regularly.
The above discussion of Jain way of life is only a particular example of some diasporic Jains' attempt to reconcile their tradition with its new context, and should not be construed as an alternative to the orthodox Jain way of life which is based on a long and consistent history of Jain teachings, scriptures and practices. The discussion is also illustrative of the fact that no religion remains statically homogenous over any period of time or span of geography.
Concluding Remarks The Jain identity is crystallized around Jainism which also provides the Jains with a world-view and a way of life that embodies selfreliance, social equality, inter-group tolerance, non-violence, and limiting one's desires and needs. Furthermore, this way of life is "built on the bed-rock of self-realization, the entire conduct is imbued with the spirit of Ahimsa, sanctity of all life, equity and equanimity and the thinking processes dominated by Anekantist Syadvada" (Jain, J. P. 1983: 174). In the face of social change and modernization, however, the orthodox Jain way of life appears to be steadily eroding, and this has been for some time now a cause of concern in the Jain community leadership in India and abroad. Moreover, for how long Jainism and the Jain way of life would be carried forward in future by its declared adherents is a moot sociological question for the simple reason that the demographic dynamics of the Jains in India has begun to show some disturbing signs. This is analysed in the next chapter.
Jains in India and Abroad