Preface

Founded and nurtured over the centuries in India, Jainism is a rich and profound way of life embraced by a strong and affluent minority. Though the religion has produced world-class leaders and propagated philosophies for the human family, it is little known about outside the South Asian continent. The Jain community consisting of 8 to 10 million Jains or approximately 1 % of the Indian population has produced successful men and women in all fields including, academics, government, medicine and arts.

In North America, UK and outside India there are estimated 15,000 Jain families practicing the ancient traditions of the religion. While some of these people living in foreign nations have a solid foundation in the religion and its philosophies, many, unfortunately, lack knowledge of the basic principles of religion. This is to no fault of theirs. While the structure of the Jain Community is a symbiotic relationship between the lay and the monastic segments, the heavy restrictions on travel forced upon Jain ascetics hinder the perpetual flow of knowledge between the two groups. Thus we are left with an educational divide - on the one hand there are the erudite monks that possess the true working knowledge of scriptures and philosophies of Jainism, and on the other a global community of Jains lacking access to teachers and spiritual guidance. Since the majority of the Jain publications are written in South Asian languages, Jains worldwide lack easy access to Jain literature. It is mandatory that we fill this void and produce Jain literature in contemporary, easy to understand English.

The primary purpose of this article is to provide a basic introduction of the Jain religion to English speaking Jain youth of North America, UK and other countries. The article briefly covers Jain philosophy, ethics, scriptures, religious holidays, prayers, symbols, and the life of Lord Mahavir. Since the younger Jain generations growing up in America have shown a sincere interest in understanding the proper roots of Jain principles, ethics, and religion, on a scientific way. I hope to serve that curiosity and provide information to other interested Jains and non-Jains as well.

-Dr Hermann Jacobi

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