Christians and Jains Need to Join Hands Together: Cardinal Tauran

Christians and Jains need to join hands together to preserve and promote life with dignity and freedom, said Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of Pontifical Council for inter-religious dialogue.

He was speaking at an inter-religious seminar in New Delhi on November 13 that highlighted the similarities between the two communities.

“Christians and Jains have many things in common. As Christians, we believe that life is very precious and the Jain religion too upholds the sanctity of life and urges its promotion and protection,” said the cardinal.

He said that “our vocation to promote respect for life, non-violence, peace and harmony in today’s world brings us together with the common bond of mutual affection for each other.’

The cardinal called on all the protagonists of politics, economic and social communications to do everything in their power to “promote a culture which respects human life.”

The seminar was part of the cardinal’s 10-day visit to the country during which he held deliberations with leaders of different faiths. He met with the Hindu delegation in Pune and the Sikhs in Amritsar.

Sadhvi Sadhna from the Jain community said that a person has to believe in his/her religious scriptures as no religion teaches hatred or non-violence.

“We have to shun violence, ego, hatred from within ourselves, only then we will be able to bring a change in the world,” she said.

She said that the world will not have to conduct such conferences to promote peace and harmony if “we bring a change in ourselves.’

Fr. Vincent Sekhar, associate professor of Philosophy, marked out areas where the two communities could “seek to do something jointly with their religious and other assets in mind.”

Some of the areas he specified were protection, preservation and promotion of life, work of the betterment of ecology and environment and preparing religious texts on major themes like family, social life, diversity and equality.

The seminar was organized by the pontifical council for inter-religious dialogue, Archdiocese of Delhi, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India and world fellowship of religions.

Source: By Ritu Sharma

Jains are Gentle, Non-violent - Dhananjay Kumar

Bangalore, Jun 30: "The policy of the Jains is to live and let others live. They are gentle, soft-spoken and do not expect anything from others," said V Dhanjay Kumar, special representative of the state government at New Delhi.

He was speaking at the valedictory ceremony of Jain Sanskriti Festival being held at Jain Bhavan here. Kumar added that the Jains never create problems or harm for others. "Jains believe that the Lord can be appeased by causing as little hurt as possible, to other living beings. They try to lead an ideal life by following the principles and preachings of Jainism. They also have dedicated themselves to the welfare of the society," he explained. He claimed, that the Jains who belong to minority community, make use of the little opportunities that come their way and never approach the government with a request for favour or facilities.

South Indian Jain Mahasabha president Kallappanna Awade in his address felt that organizing of Jain Festivals often is advantageous as it provides a forum for the Jains to come together.
On the occasion, Dharmasthala Surendra Kumar was conferred with the titles, 'Samaja Ratna' and 'Sanghatana Sarvabhouma'. Karnataka Jain Sangh president S Jitendra Kumar was honoured with 'Shravaka Ratna' award.

Shravana Belagola Charukeerti Bhattaraka Swamiji, scholar Dr Hampa Nagaranaiah and many other dignitaries participated.

Root vegetables get chop from in-flight meals

By Lee Wen-yi

Monday, Jun 01, 2009,

In line with the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) new policy on special meals, starting today, the nation’s airlines will not include root vegetables in their in-flight Asian vegetarian meals.

According to new standards for in-flight dining set by IATA, airlines will no longer be allowed to include root vegetables such as potatoes and yams in such meals.

Liu Tsan-hsiung (劉燦雄), a chef for EVA Airways, said that airlines have set their own standards for special in-flight meals, and this was the first time that IATA had conducted a major overhaul of standard ingredients to be used in special meals.

Although the guidelines are not mandatory, each airline generally follows standards provided by IATA.

Liu said he did not understand why root vegetables had been prohibited from standard Asian vegetarian meals.

It is possible that the measure was intended to cater for Jains.

Jainism is an ancient Indian religion whose followers are strict vegetarians and are also forbidden from eating root vegetables.

Liu said that without root vegetables, “the traditional Taiwanese meal would lose its flavor.”

He said he would observe reaction to the new vegetarian meals to decide if he should recommend that IATA change its policy.

JITO mentor calls for uniting Jains

AHMEDABAD: 'Jains of the world unite', was the call given by Naypadmasagarji Maharaj, a revered Jain sadhu at the introductory meet on Friday on the eve of Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO)'s global summit.

Speaking to delegates, Naypadmasagarji, who is also JITO's mentor emphasised on the importance of unity for a better future.

"JITO's aim is to work for betterment of society. We should unite to eliminate poverty in the world. For this, I would ask JITO members to even go meet terrorists and try to understand their side of the story. Why should anybody choose to become a terrorist ? There must be some reason. We have to find this out for the cause of humanity", he said.

He urged that if they wanted to live in a peaceful world, they will have to create it themselves. "Jains have never discriminated while doing social works in their life. It is a tradition. I urge Jain leaders to invest their money in value based education", he said.

According to a JITO official, day one was like a "get together where JITO members and executives from various chapters presented their future course of action"

Jainism is the most ancient green movement:LK Advani at JITO

Following is the full text of Shri LK Advani’s speech delivered when inaugurating Jain International Trade Organization(JITO) Global Summit at Ahmedabad, Gujarat on January 10th, 2009.

I thank the organizers of this Global Summit of the Jain International Trade Organization (JITO) for inviting me to the inaugural ceremony. At the outset, I convey my best wishes to you for a Happy New Year and also my greetings for Makar Sankranti, which is just four days away.

I have participated in many conferences of business platforms such as FICCI, CII and ASSOCHAM. These organizations are focused almost entirely on business and economy. But your conference is different. This is because the Jain International Trade Organization does not concern itself only with trade matters. Its outlook and activities are far more holistic, embracing many other aspects of life and society.

JITO’s philosophy is encapsulated by five noble commitments: Seva (Service of Humanity), Shiksha (Education), Arthik Sudharata (Economic Uplift), Samajik Utkarsh (Social Progress) and Adhyatmik Unnati (Spiritual Elevation). I compliment your organization because it is actively promoting programmes in each of these areas.

Jainism’s holistic approach to life

This holistic approach to life is not surprising because Jainism itself presents a profound and all-encompassing outlook towards life. Its ideals like satya, ahimsa, and aparigraha are both universal and eternal in their relevance. And in every century, Jainism has produced saintly figures who have both embodied these ideals. In our own times, I can think of two venerable personalities – Acharya Tulsi and his worthy disciple Acharya Mahapragya. I consider it my good fortune that I have sat at the feet of both these great Acharyas.

One of the great qualities that I have observed among Jain organizations is how they have tried to follow the teachings of the Tirthankars to practice philanthropy by enhancement of business. The spirit of volunteerism and social service that they display is truly remarkable. I remember that, at the time of the massive earthquake in Kutch and other parts of Gujarat in 2001, some of the best relief and humanitarian work was done by Jain organizations. I commend JITO for supporting this praiseworthy tradition.

Jainism the most ancient Green Movement in world history

Friends, in popular consciousness, Jainism is associated with its insistence on ahimsa or non-violence. Indeed, the greatest apostle of nonviolence in the modern era, Mahatma Gandhi, has written in his autobiography that he had a Jain ’spiritual mentor’, a young diamond merchant named Shrimad Rajchandra.

We often do not appreciate why Jainism attached such paramount importance to ahimsa. However, we should remember that two of the greatest challenges before the world today Terrorism and Climate Change are both manifestations of violence.

Terrorism is of course the most extreme and inhuman form of violence. And we have seen its evil face in Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Delhi, Bangalore, Guwahati and, most recently, in Mumbai. Violence of this kind must be put down with a firm hand.

But there is another form of violence which the world has been much slower to recognize, and much more hesitant to take firm action against. I am referring to the violence being inflicted on Mother Earth by our materialistic civilization. The destruction of the environment, which is evident in the alarming levels of pollution of our land, water and air resources and which is now climaxing in Climate Change, has catastrophic implications for man and other species on our planet.

It is when we reflect on the challenge of Climate Change that we begin to appreciate the enormous contemporary relevance of the Jain philosophy of ahimsa and jiva daya. We realize that Bhagwan Mahavir and the other Jain Tirthankars were great environmental conservationists. They taught us that we human beings are merely trustees of this planet. We need to re-learn their teachings in our times. If we do so, we realize that eco-friendliness is not a mere fashionable phrase, it has to be interwoven into our development paradigm and also into our day-to-day living. In a sense, we all have to become adivasis or tribals who know how to exist in harmony with the earth. The earth takes care of us, and so we have to take care of her. In this sense, Jainism is the most ancient Green Movement in world history.

I would like to assure the audience here, and the people at large in our country, that, in the event of the BJP and the NDA elected to form the next government in New Delhi, we shall take appropriate steps to deal with both forms of violence – Terrorism and Climate Change.

Vibrant Gujarat: A role model for other states

Friends, your conference is taking place at a time when Gujarat is once again hosting another prestigious meet: The Vibrant Gujarat summit. This annual event has now become an advertisement, both nationally and internationally, for the highly impressive achievements of the Government of Gujarat, under the leadership of its dynamic Chief Minster Shri Narendra Modi.

Even our political and ideological opponents have to grudgingly recognize that Gujarat has now become the No. 1 destination for investments. Recently, a Member of Parliament from Kerala belonging to the CPI(M) publicly lauded Shri Modi and said that the Communist-led Government in Kerala should emulate the example of Gujarat.

Gujarat today is a role model for Good Governance, for Development and an uncompromising approach to Security. It has also set an example for an uncompromising approach to Corruption. Let me assure you that a future NDA Government in New Delhi will replicate this model nationally.

We shall take bold and quick steps to revive the economy out of the recessionary crisis that it is in today. Our policies will help create more employment, self-employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young Indians. In this, we would actively seek the cooperation of organizations like JITO.

Govt must take firm action against cases of financial fraud

Friends, since most of you are from the fields of business and commerce, I have to share an important thought on this occasion. India has all the potential to grow into a giant economy. The successes of Indian entrepreneurs in recent times, both in India and abroad, have been spectacular.

But as Gandhiji used to exhort, business without ethics is sin. Even if a few business organizations indulge in unethical practices, they bring a bad name to the business community as a whole. I am saying this I am distressed by the recent shocking disclosures about financial fraud in a major IT company in Hyderabad. Corporate India must put its house in order. The Government cannot turn a blind or lenient eye to such fraudulent practices.

With these words, I declare the inauguration of the Global Summit of the Jain International Trade Organization and wish it all success.

Thank you.

Govt decides to move official amendment to define minority

New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI)
Government today decided to move an official amendment to the Constitution to define minority, a step which could enable it designate the Jains as a minority community.

A meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, today approved a proposal to introduce the Constitution 103rd Amendment Bill to define minority, Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters here.

The legislation came in the backdrop of several Supreme Court directives to the government to decide on the issue.

"This Bill is about the power to define a minority. The Supreme Court directed the Centre to decide the issue of giving minority status to Jains. A number of orders have been passed by the Supreme Court in this behalf," he said.

The Bill was introduced earlier and referred to the Standing Committee. After considering its recommendations, it was decided to move official amendments. However, the notice for amendments issued to Lok Sabha secretariat lapsed.

"Further issues were raised in the meantime. These have now been resolved and action will be taken to move the official amendments to the pending Constitution amendment bill," Chidambaram said.

Under the proposed amendment, minority means a community which may be specified by the President or notified by the Central government, the Minister said.

The Cabinet also decided to pursue its earlier decision to accord Scheduled Tribe status to the children of the inhabitants of Lakshadweep, who were born in any other place in India. So far, the children of such people who had moved to other parts of the country were denied ST status. PTI

A Jain hospital exclusively for birds

By D.N.Jha

THE JAINS, who constitute hardly one per cent of the country’s population, continue to adhere to the tenets of their religion. The bird hospital in Chandini Chowk is just one example of the lofty principles that they are devoted to. It also reflects their belief in freedom of all living beings, no matter how small or insignificant they are.

The Jain Bird Hospital

A sick parrot in the hospital

Sick pigeons in the hospital

Next to Chandni Chowk, right across the Red Fort, is Digambar Jain temple. In the same complex is a unique and interesting hospital situated, where only birds are admitted.
Run by legendary Aggarwal Digambar Jain panchayat, Delhi, the hospital was founded in 1956 on the Jain principle of aversion to killing. The hospital has separate wards in form of cages for different species of birds like sparrows, parrots, domestic fowls and pigeons. It also has a research laboratory and even an intensive care unit for its serious patients.

The people, especially the Jain merchants of the area, bring the birds that are usually wounded by ceiling fans or by other means for treatments. The hospital admits a maximum of 60 injured birds per day. The birds are then treated, bathed and are given nutritious diet so that it recover soon. It is eventually released, especially on Saturdays, after it is declared fit and healthy.

The interesting thing about the hospital is that they reluctantly and in a very special case, treat the non-vegetarian birds. Visitors can also see flocks of birds on the roof of the hospital. Though most of the birds are those that have been treated here, but who knows there are some visitors too for its respective patients!

Since it is a charitable hospital, visitors are expected to donate some money.

Transported in plastic bags or clasped between hands, 30 to 40 birds arrive in a day. In summers, the birds are often dehydrated; in winters, it suffers from pneumonia. Whether wounded by a passing auto-rickshaw or a whirling ceiling fan, the injured fowls arrive at the Charity Birds Hospital inside the Digambara Jain Temple compound, seeking a remedy for everything from pigeon pox to the common cold. One thing is for sure that this is the only hospital of its kind: The patients never admit themselves.

Opposite the historic Red Fort and situated amidst the noise and chaos of Chandni Chowk, the three-storey hospital, founded in 1956, treats nearly 30,000 birds every year. The birds are first held in the intensive care unit and are eventually transferred to the general wards, where it regain its wings and eventually fly off.

Fed, a vegetarian diet of bread and cheese, treatments are free of cost and funded by Jain donations. The hospital separates its vegetarian patients from its non-vegetarian counterparts. Carnivorous predators such as eagles, hawks and falcons are housed exclusively on the first floor. Every Saturday, a section of the roof is opened and the recovered birds fly away. The hospital follows a central tenet of Jainism – a commitment towards enabling the freedom of all living beings, no matter how small or insignificant it is. And once the birds are admitted, those are never returned to its owners for fear of likely confinement.

“People bring the birds here, Jain or not,” explained veterinarian Dr Vijay Kumar, who has worked at the hospital for nine years, who is not a Jain himself, quickly mentioned that he is a vegetarian. One of India’s smallest religious communities that comprises approximately one per cent of India’s one billion people, Jains are the first and foremost vegetarians.

“Just like us, a pigeon will never eat another animal’s meat. Even if it is very hungry,” said manager, Kamal Kishore Jain, as he describes the folk-art mural in the hospital’s second-floor entrance. It shows a scene from a famous Jain and Buddhist tale: A king, whose hand and foot have been cut off, is pictured next to a scale that balances his bleeding foot and hand on one side and a bird on the other. The mural reads: “Brave and merciful king put pieces of his own flesh and finally, his whole life in exchange to save a pigeon from becoming the prey of a hawk.”

Walking barefoot through the bird hospital premises, two words immediately came to mind, ’bird flu’. Dr Kumar assured, “Since the bird flu, we have taken extra precautions and care with migratory birds.”

Whenever you enter the Chandni Chowk area, you cannot miss seeing the charity bird’s hospital located within the precincts of a temple. Timings: Open: 8 am to 8 pm.

Devotees pray to Jain lord

SHALINI SABOO

Ranchi, April 18: People across the capital practised the moral virtues of non-violence and truth while propagating the teachings of Lord Mahavir, the last of the 24 Tirthankaras.

Mahavir Jayanti, marking the birth anniversary of the leader, was celebrated across the state capital today.

Jain temples were busy hosting cultural programmes to mark the holy occasion. At Digambar Jain Temple in the Upper Bazaar area, 1,008 pots (kalash) were dedicated in the memory of the leaders.

Speaking on the occasion,C.M. Gangwal, the president of the Pradesh Jain Sabha, said: “Over 2,000 years ago, Mahavir, the personification of God for the Jains, left us but his teachings remain relevant even in the contemporary society.”

Later during the day, a shobha yatra was organised by the members of the community, where over a thousand devotees participated. The two-hour procession, which passed through all major lanes of the capital, had a deity of the lord with beautiful jhakis accompanying it. The jhakis depicted the teachings of the lord.

Mahavir Prasad Sogani, the secretary of the state Jain Sabha, said: “The celebrations will continue till tomorrow evening.Children will also participate in bhajans and a dance drama, enacting the virtuous preaching of the saint. Mayor Rama Khalkho will be the chief guest.”
The celebrations at the Swetambar Jain Temple in Doranda were simple.

“We started the day after praying to lord Mahavir. This year, we have resolved free our community from all evils, especially dowry and illiteracy,” said L.K. Jain, a devotee.

Rally, Demand for Holiday Mark Mahavir Jayanti

Patna: April 18, 2008
Mahavir Jayanti Celebrated Image 1Image 2Image 3Image 4 Photo by Shashi Uttam The Jain community in Patna on Friday took out a rally to mark the birth of Lord Mahavir while also pressing for their demand of declaring the Mahavir Jayanti a state holiday since Mahavir was born in the state of Bihar.

The rally was taken out from the Jain Temple in Mithapur and after covering R-Block, Bir Chand Patel Marg, Income Tax roundabout, Dak Bungalow Crossing, Exhibition Road, Bakerganj, Kadam Kuan, arrived at the Congress Maidan where it turned into a public meeting.

Pradeep Jain, a senior office-bearer of the Jain Sangh in Patna, expressed his disappointment with the state government for not declaring Mahavir Jayanti a state holiday.

"Jains have only one day in a year to celebrate their faith and that too was taken away by the state government. This is highly troubling since Bihar is the birth place of Lord Mahavir," Pradeep Jain said adding the government was clearly ignoring the religious sentiments of the Jains in Bihar.

Featuring elephants, horses, and local bands, the rally included thousands of devotees chanting religious hymns with women outnumbering men in large number.

Following the rally, the Jains visited the school for blinds and fed the students.

community in Delhi demands minority status

By Madhusree ChatterjeeNew Delhi, April 20 (IANS) The Jain community in the capital is raising the pitch for minority status on par with the Buddhists, Christians, Sikhs, Muslims and Parsis, listed as notified minority groups under the Delhi Minorities Commission Act, 1999. Members of the community say they want minority status primarily because they want to incorporate Jainism, the religion of the community, as a subject in Jain schools. The capital and its adjoining areas have eight Jain schools.

They are not being able teach Jainism to their children because most of the Jain schools in Delhi are partially funded by the government, which doesn’t allow the teaching of any particular religion at schools unless it is a minority community.

“The government is ignoring the community. We want minority status as enshrined (under Article 25) in the Indian Constitution, which empowers the government to accord minority status to six marginal ethno-religious groups, so that we can teach Jainism to our children in schools run by us. We don’t want reservations in jobs or in education,” Chakresh Jain, head of the Delhi Jain Samaj, told IANS.

Members of the Jain Samaj had assembled at Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s home Saturday to celebrate Mahavir Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira, the last of the Jain spiritualists. Mahavira was born 2,604 years ago in Vaishali (now in Bihar).
Chakresh Jain said children of the community here were losing touch with their traditional culture because they were not being taught Jainism in schools.

The community, comprising mostly businessmen, trace their lineage to Lord Adinath, a seer-king who preached non-violence, tolerance, vegetarianism and the importance of karma and literacy during the Vedic Age (2nd-6th century B.C.).

The members of the Jain community in the capital are traditionally jewellers by profession with the highest literacy rate.

Till the middle of the last century, the community lived in the old walled city of the capital. According to official estimates, there are 480,000 Jains in Delhi.

The Jain community is known for its social work and service in the sphere of education.
Underscoring the need for minority status, Chakresh Jain said Jains were included in the list of minorities in seven states across the country - Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal (which enacted a law to bring the community under the minority fold three weeks ago). According to 2001 Census, the Jain community forms .45 percent of the population.

“Delhi is one of the few states where the Jain community has nor been granted minority status,” he said.

According to Jaipur-based Jain scholar Hukam Chand Bharill, “Jainism as a religion is older than Buddhists, Sikhism and Islam”.

Bharill has authored 66 books on Jain spirituality and way of life.

“Sikhism, the dominant religion of Punjab, is barely 500-years-old whereas you will find mention of the Jain community in the Vedas. The ancient Indian scriptures acknowledge Rishab Dev, hailed as the first Jain guru,” the scholar told IANS, arguing in favour of minority status for the community in Delhi.

“One must not forget that Lord Mahavira’s grandfather, the ruler of Vaishali, propounded the concept of a republic (Loktantra),” Bharill said.

Bharill runs 400 Jain elementary night schools across the country (known as Vitrag Vigyan Pathshala), which churn out nearly 500 Jain scholars every year.

“We want to teach our children compassion, good behaviour, health and hygiene in school, according to Jain tradition. But we cannot do so because the government provides aid to most of our education institutions in the country. Minority status would solve the problem. But we will never teach our children to look down upon other religions,” he said.

The Jain community, who don’t like to be clubbed with Hindus, have their own temples, texts, religious mores, food habits and deities. Like Buddhism, the group is divided into two sects - the Shwetambar and Digambar folds.

“We do not believe in Jagatguru Shankaracharya, we have our own spiritual identity,” Chakresh Jain said.

A Feel For Jainism

Jinal Shah

Mumbai, March 23 It has made it to the bestsellers' list among the visually impaired in India. And now, several manuscripts from Jain literature are all set to be translated into English and then put on the Braille system for blind people living abroad and harbouring an interest in Jainism.

Four years ago, the Blind Graduate Forum of India, a body comprising 700 members—all graduates and all visually impaired—who assist blind students get through their graduation, had discussed an idea. Considering the population of students learning about Jainism though various courses, including certificate courses, diploma courses as well as the MA or PhD level courses, the number of Braille books available on the subject was abysmal.

"When I was a kid, I had read a Braille book on Jainism. So, when the idea struck us at the forum, we approached a social group comprising doctors," says Hasmukh Shah, president of the Blind Graduate Forum of India.

At the forefront of this silent effort is Dr Bipin Doshi, a doctor with a flourishing practice as a private physician in Borivali. His love for Jainism, however, forced him to also take on the mantle of a full-time professor of Jainism at Mumbai University. When contacted by the Blind Graduate Forum who had zeroed down on the idea of converting Jain literature into Braille form, Doshi and the others had to decide on what texts should be converted first. "We consulted an 87-year-old Jain scholar at Navsari near Ahmedabad. We then decided to convert two of the oldest books, the Panch Pratikaman Sutra and 24 Jinvandana," says Dr Doshi.

Four years ago, it was merely an idea. Today, Jainism has reached 500 visually impaired individuals across India, both Jain and non-Jain, for academic purposes, through the efforts of this group.

"The big challenge was to translate the original Ardhmaghdhi language into Hindi. After all, students are taught only the commercially viable languages. Then we had to get everything dotted into Braille," he adds.

This year alone, the demand for literature on Jainism from blind students has increased to 1,200 copies in Braille, from across the country. "It is a no-profit-no-loss venture; we deliver books on demand. Last year, we delivered 500 copies to various institutes in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Calcutta, etc," says Dr Doshi.

The two books are creating immense interest not only among blind academicians in India but those abroad as well. "We have got three letters from visually impaired individuals from the United States and from Europe, all people interested in learning Jainism. We have already started translating the literature into English now," says Dr Doshi..

"Our ultimate goal is to prepare a rich database for blind individuals interested in studying Jain literature," he adds.

Haverford student to greet pope

Senior Aditya Vora will be one of five young adults representing five faiths to meet Benedict XVI.

By Bonnie L. Cook

Inquirer Staff Writer

A Haverford College student who follows the Jain religion has been picked to greet Pope Benedict XVI during the pontiff's first trip to the United States.

Aditya Vora, 21, a senior from Kings Park, N.Y., is among five young adults chosen from around the world for the honor. Others will represent the Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, and Islamic traditions. The pope will be in the States from April 15 to 20.

When Vora learned of his role, he said he was "filled with nervousness and excitement."

"I felt honored, but I felt like I didn't deserve it," said Vora, a science major who hopes to become a physician.

The meeting, set for April 17 in Washington, is meant to embody the pope's belief that religions must unite to achieve peace.

"The cry for peace in our world calls for religious bodies to come together," said Bishop William Sklba, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, which is hosting the visit.

The meeting "exemplifies what must happen all over the world," Sklba said.

On April 15, the pontiff will arrive in Washington. The following day, his 81st birthday, Benedict will meet with President Bush and the Catholic bishops.

On April 17, he will say Mass at Nationals Park, new home of the Washington Nationals. At 6:30 p.m., the pontiff will receive Vora and the other young adults.

Afterward, he will welcome 10 prominent religious figures, including Vora's father, Arvind, a member of the Federation of Jain Associations in North America.

On April 18, the pope will go to New York to address the U.N. General Assembly. The next day, the third anniversary of his election to the papacy, Benedict will meet with seminarians and disabled children.

On the last day of his visit, April 20, he will visit site of the attack on the World Trade Center and celebrate Mass at Yankee Stadium.

At the April 17 meeting, Vora will shake the pope's hand and give him a small metal cube, according to the Rev. James Massa, who helped organize the event.

The cube represents the Jain principles of nonviolence, truthfulness, tolerance of others' views, and never stealing or being swayed by materialism, Vora said. The ceremony is expected to last 10 to 15 minutes.

"That 10 to 15 minutes will probably seem like an hour to me," Vora said. "My adrenaline will be pumping. I can't believe this is actually happening."

Massa said Vora might get to speak to the pope.

"He'll probably ask, 'Where are you from and what do you do?' " Massa said.

Earlier this year, Massa was seeking young people who could represent their sects at the meeting. They had to be involved in interfaith work and be advocates for peace.

Vora's name came up because Massa had visited a Jain peace center on Long Island and knew Vora's father. Massa and Aditya Vora met at a restaurant on the N.J. Turnpike early one morning, and Massa was impressed with him.

"He has a remarkable social conscience, one informed by his religion," Massa said.

Vora, a slim, quiet man, didn't expect to receive such an honor. Called A.D. by friends, Vora was singled out because of work he did on Long Island.

The work since his high school days involved talking with Holocaust survivors in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and antibias and multicultural programs he fostered.

Jains believe that their religion, centered in India, had no beginning, Vora said. Instead, 24 teachers, or tirthankars, guided its formation by achieving, then teaching, the path to salvation.

Jains believe the principle of nonviolence must be reflected in their every thought, word and deed, Vora said. Most are vegetarians.

"If there's a spider in your house, you have to get a dust pan and sweep it out," he said. "We don't kill anything."

Vora's small step for interfaith unity comes as Benedict makes his first appearance in America as pope. He had visited before as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany and is familiar with U.S. culture.

"To come as pope is a whole different experience," Massa said. "He comes because he's our pastor, but also in the role of peacemaker and advocate for justice."

Massa said the interfaith meeting grew out of discussions with five religious groups with which the Catholic bishops conference has a relationship.

"I think it appeals to the heart when there are religions meeting together and a person who has great symbolic significance, such as the pope, is present," Massa said.

That provides a platform for "working through our differences," he said.

Why We Get Ignored? (I)

Most of the people, including writers, journalists, teachers, historians, publishers, film & T.V. serial producers, and even Government bodies and politicians like to ignore Jains and Jainism. They do not like to speak and write anything about us and our religion.

What are the reasons behind this? Who are responsible for it?

Until now I had been thinking that it was happening because of their lack of knowledge about Jainism and some jealousy about Jains. But now I have realized that these two reasons are not the only or main reasons of ignorance. The major reasons are from Jain side for which Jains are solely responsible.

Now let me discuss about the first reason from Jain side. After your comments on it, I will mail other reasons by next mails.

The Number Counts!

In democracy, or in any other field, the number is very important. If we are in ignorable number, why should one care about us and our religion? Even the speakers in ‘All Religion Meet’ will not speak about Jainism if there is no Jain representative on stage or in the meet.

If we are less than 0.4% (Not even half a percent!), we can not expect from others to speak and write about our great religion.

Suppose we were 4% instead of 0.4% in the total population of India. The entire scenario would be like this:

Jain community will be a major political force of India. At least 40 MPs (Member of Parliament) and 5 -6 Ministers will be from our community. Nation can see a Jain President or a Jain Prime Minister. The Chief Ministers of many states, with many other ministers will be from Jain community.

This will affect all the things in entire India. No one will ignore us.

Further, there will be more writers, journalist, IAS and IPS officers, teachers, historians, publishers, film & T.V. serial producers from Jain community. This will give a lot of exposure to our religion.

Today many Jains behave like Hindus, but in above conditions Hindus will behave like Jains.

In such condition, Jainism will spread automatically. We can use our force for upliftment of downtrodden people. We can make millions of people vegetarians. We can minimize the number of slaughter houses. We can abolish poverty from India.

Is it possible?

But is it possible for us to be 4% in Indian population?

Yes, it is possible. We can grow in numbers, but only if we wish and work in that direction. We do not have to produce more children for it.

The only way is to convert others to Jainism. Lot of people wish to adopt Jainism, but we have closed our doors. We have to open them.

There is a community named Gounder in south India. They were Jains in Past. They know it and proud fully accept this. There number is over FIVE MILLIONS! (That is more than our population). And there are lot of such big communities who were Jains in past.

We will have to reconvert all the non Jains to Jainism, who were Jains in past and were forcefully converted to other religions.

What do you think?

M.S. Chavan
http://jainblogs.tripod.com/

Jain community most media-savvy than others

Televisionpoint.com Correspondent New Delhi
Hindus are slightly more exposed to the media than Muslims in India, but the Jain community, both men and women, is far ahead as far as reading newspapers or magazines is concerned.

According to the findings of the latest National Family Health Survey III, 76% Jain women read newspapers or magazines at least once a week as against 40% of Christian, 33% of Sikh, 30% of Buddhist, 23% of Hindu or 18% of Muslim women.

The number stands at 95% for Jain men compared to 61% for Buddhist, 60% for Christian, 56% for Sikh, 53% for Hindu and 45% for Muslim men. SCs and STs have the lowest media exposure - 55% of ST women and 38% of ST men are not regularly exposed to media.

Overall, in India, 65% of women and 82% of men aged 15-49 years are regularly exposed to any media. The most common form of media for both women and men is television. Over 55% and 63% of women and men respectively watch television at least once a week. However, for women, the next most common media source is the radio.

In every state, women are less likely that men to be regularly exposed to any media. The proportion with no regular exposure to media is highest for both women (60%) and men (40%) in Jharkhand.

In the case of women, Bihar (58%) and Rajasthan (53%) follow Jharkhand with somewhat lower percentages of women with no regular exposure to media whereas in case of men, Jharkhand is followed by Meghalaya (32%), MP (31%) and Chhattisgarh (30%). Delhi, Manipur, Goa and Kerala are the four states in which both women (92%) and men (98%) have the highest levels of exposure to one or more forms of media.

Media exposure is much higher in urban India than in rural areas. Only 13% women and 6% men in urban areas are not exposed to media compared to 45% women and 25% men in rural areas.

The report says the proportion with no regular exposure to media declines sharply with the wealth index, from 74% for women and 49% for men in the lowest wealth group to only 4% for women and 2% for men in the highest wealth group.

Compared to others, 44.7% and 43.7% Hindu and Muslim men watch television at least once a week, while 18% and 12.7% respectively do not regularly get exposed to any media.

So far as Hindu and Muslim women are concerned, 22.7% and 11% of them respectively read newspapers or magazines at least once a week, while 55.6% and 45.5% of them watch television weekly.

http://www.televisionpoint.com/