Jainism%20For%20Future%20generations

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Jainism For Future generations
JAINA Convention, Cincinnati 2003

• Yashwant K. Malaiya
• ymalaiya_at_yahoo.com

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Dharma for Next Generations

• Next one Generation 20 years
• Objective next two centuries 8-10 generations
  (typical genealogical chart)
• We must consider
• our recent past
• similar cases
• develop a plan for action
• Let us take a long-term critical view.

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Jainism for Next Generations

• Why did Jains survive Buddhists did not.
• Role of Jain Neighborhoods
• Jain population trends
• Case studies
• Patan Jains, Agrawals, Gahois
• Parsis, Jews, Swaminarayans
• Jainism mixed marriages
• Historical Role of Acharyas, Bhattarakas,
  Pandits
• Prabhavana by preaching osmosis
• Three age groups 0-12, 13-18, 19-25
• Inherent strengths of Jainism
• Plan of action

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Buddhism was well establied

• Indian Buddhists had
• Grandest temples
• Famous universities
• Largest libraries
• Large endowments (villages lands)
• Scholarly monks (Akalanka-Nikalanka story etc)
• They didnt have householder communities.

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Why are WE Jain?

• Buddhism, a popular and powerful force,
  disappeared from India. Why did Jainism survive,
  in spite of great odds against?
• We are Jain because we have lived in Jain
  neighborhoods.
• Neighborhood community where being a Jain is
  "normal", not "odd".
• The Jain neighborhoods are disappearing.

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Neighborhood hierarchical model

• A simplified hierarchical model
• Town neighborhoods watch people with shravak
  vratas
• Jnati or nyat traditional 84 endogamous group
  (e.g. Srimal, Agrawal, Pancham, Parwar etc)
• Regional nyat clusters (e.g. Nav-nat, 12 1/2
  nyat etc) mutual social interaction
• Shravak Sangh Network of nyats linked by routes
  of monks traders

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84 Shravak Nyats
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Jain Population Trends

• 2 children per couple results in negative
  population growth.

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Case Shravakas of Patan

• 746 CE Vanraj settles Anhilvad (Patan), some
  shravakas arrive from Shrimal
• 1143-75 Kumarpal rules, guided by Hemachandra
  Suri, famine at Srimal cause people to move to
  Patan.
• 1300-15 Old Patan destroyed, new city built,
  Jains still flourish.
• 1763-66 Marathas take and make Patan capital
• Late 18th/early 19th cent Many Patan Jains move
  to Bombay.
• Jain population 1901 15, 1971 5.6
• Neighborhoods Shrimal, Patan, Bombay

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Case The Agrawals

• Largest merchant community of India (4 million)
• Legend Raja Agrasen of Agroha gave up vedic
  sacrifices accepted Ahimsa.
• Agrawal Jain authors 13th century onwards
• Agrawal Jain inscriptions
• Have not seen mentions of non-Jain Agrawals in
  ancient times.
• texts mention half of them were Jain 200-300
  years ago.
• about 10 Jain today.

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Case Grahpatis or Gahois

• They were the greatest builders of Jain temples
  in Bundelkhand (central India) during Chandella
  kings (10-13th century)
• Lord Shatinath of Ahar
• All the Jain temples of Khajuraho
• Sahasrakuta temple of Banpur etc.
• Only a few brahmanist (1 of 25 inscriptions)
• Today all vaishnav, (even with name Saraogi)
• A small group were accepted by Taranpanthi Jains.

Maithilisharan Gupt
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Case Grahpatis or Gahois
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Case history The Parsis

• Among most successful in India JTD Tata etc.
• Fled to India to avoid persecution
• Flourished in India, helped their brethren in
  Iran to survive
• Populations peaked in 1960 at 100,000 about
  50,000 now. Reasons
• marry late when they are settled in life
• some don't marry
• many marry outside
• Great controversy about outside marriages
• Dastoors oppose, reformists support

bhojakas
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Case Jewish Faith

• Wealthy minority in Europe, Middle East, USA.
  Have their own country Israel. National Jewish
  Population surveys
• Childrens Jewish identification
• Mother Father Jewish 90
• Mother Jewish, not father 40
• Mother not, father Jewish 16
• Raising of children of mixed marriage
• 28 as Jewish, 41 non-Jewish, 31 no religion
• Mixed marriages of children of mixed marriages
  about 90
• Jewish identity of mixed marriage grandchildren
  about 0
• Jewish conclusion encourage conversion to
  Judaism.

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Case Swaminarayan Faith

• Pushtimarg founded by Vallabhacharya.
• Sahajananda Swami founded Swaminarayan sect as
  Pustimargi Vaishnav Sampraday.
• Bochasan (BAPS) groups breaks away with
  non-hereditary, non-brahmin leadership.
• BAPS reaches Gujaratis worldwide in past few
  decades.
• Emerging as most visible Hindu sect.

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Jainism and Mixed Marriages

• Some communities were once almost entirely Jain,
  even when they become brahmanical, their personal
  values were Jain-like.
• Intermarriage was sometimes permitted within a
  few nyats (Agrawal, Shrimal etc)
• girls got married at a very early age
• they absorbed, learned and followed husband's
  religion (Ex. Br. Pandita Chandabai of Arrah)
• statistically drifted into Brahmanism
• There are people with names "Sanghavi", "Saraogi"
  even "Jain" who are no longer Jain.

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Jainism and Mixed Marriages

• Things are different today
• Girls are fully intellectually mature when the
  are married.
• Wife has great influence over the religious
  choice for children.
• Children of mixed marriage will consider non-Jain
  matches equally.
• Brahmanical choices are 80/0.4 200 times.
• Social circle will have an impact

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Acharyas, Bhattarakas, Pandits

• Founder
• Ratnaprabh Suri Osia, Raj. Oswal
• Jinasena Acharya Khandela Raj. Khandelwal
• Lohacharya Agroha, Haryana Agrawal
• ?Untouchables of Udaypur
• Acharya Vijay Indra Dinna SuriTribals of
  Vadodara/Panchamahals

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Acharyas, Bhattarakas, Yatis

• Preserver
• Parwar Bhattarakas of Chanderi MP
• Pancham Bhattarka Lakshmisen of Kolhapur
• Nainar Bhattarak Lakshmisen of Melsittamur, TN
• Bundelkhand Pandit Mohanlal Kavyatirth, compiler
  of Jain text books
• Organizer
• USA Acharya Sushil Kumar Guru Chitrabanu
• Oswal Acharyas of Upakesha other Gachchas

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Prabhavana by Preaching Osmosis

• Preaching formal lectures and leading
• Osmosis slow, effortless absorption
• Lectures (pravachan)
• essential part of being a Sharavak ("one who
  listens")
• powerful force that can trigger transitions
• limitation
• impacts mostly those who are receptive
• impact may be temporary
• vitarag-oriented pustimargis have advantage

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Prabhavana by Osmosis

• Osmosis
• learn without effort
• learned through parents' actions (not preaching)
• reinforced through social interactions
• food (roti)
• marriage (beti)
• leisure (hukka-pani)
• spiritual activities (sat-sang)
• forms very strong bonds

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Dharma for Formative age (1-12 age of innocence)

• This is when they form their personality value
  system, tastes
• They accept parental wisdom without questioning
• is it teaching "brain-washing"?
• if you don't teach values, they will learn from
  elsewhere
• TV, friends, school teachers
• McDonald plan Make Japanese kids acquire taste
  of their food, by age 12, they will be hooked.
• What should parents do?

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Dharma for Exploration Age (13-18 age of change)

• They discover the rest of the world. Their bodies
  are changing.
• they seek same-age companionship (skt vayasya
  same age, friend)
• they start accepting peer values.
• they are still learning to learn.
• What should the parents and the community do?
• Need for a virtual Jain neighborhood

Prapte tu shodashe varshe
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Dharma for beginning maturity (19-25)

• Starting working to acquire a living
  wife/husband.
• College friendships lasts a lifetime
• Most memorable period of life
• They seek attention of potential suitors
• They are very open to religious beliefs of
  someone they will fall in love with
• "Shahide-mohabbat" Buta Singh became Muslim.
• Many Hindu girls in India and UK become Muslim.
• What can community do?
• Provide opportunity to meet Jain suitors

Recent movie ghadar
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Jainism Inherent Strengths

• Jain principles are very simple, intuitive,
  time-invariant, and appealing.
• Karma siddhant You get what you do.
• Compassion
• Acceptance of multiple views
• Of great antiquity, but capable of renewal.

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Plan of Action

• Careful study of long-term trends
• Learn from others
• Christian, Jewish and BAPS organizations.
• They have studied, experimented and perfected
  approaches.
• Reach Jains at the fringes.
• Reach others interested.