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PREFACE
I have endeavored in this book to give a portrait of Jain religion and philosophy in a comprehensive setting of spiritual, ritual, ethical and at the same time socio-cultural, environmental, national and international perspectives. With growing global spread of Jain community across the world, it is imperative to keep in view not only the doctrinaire approach to religion, but also the broader framework for propagating to the wider human society the compassionate principles and practices of Jain religion. There is in evidence growing interest globally in Jain religion despite its limited following. The interest is more in terms of the relevance of the fundamental tenets of Ahimsa (non-violence), Aparigraha (non-possession) and Anekant (relativity of manifold aspects of truth) for designing a stress-free ethical art of living. Escalating violence, horrifying spectre of terrorism, continuing exploitation - political, economic, social, cultural and ethnic of the have-nots in the society, increasing intolerance, and unrestrained wasteful consumption are issues of paramount global concern. Jain path of self-restraint at the individual level and equity and generosity at the community level offers the prospects of peaceful coexistence and harmonious mutual supportiveness of humans not only among themselves, but even more so in their relations with other living species and forces of nature. Jain spirituality is anchored on love and compassion for others through the practice of active non-violence, and firm belief in Ahimsa being the supreme religion. It has been a matter of deep and abiding pleasure for me as a Jain born and brought up in the best of Jain traditions to have taken active interest in propagating the compassionate principles of Jainism abroad during four decades of serving as India's
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