Transcript Jainism For Future generations Yashwant K. Malaiya

Jainism
For Future
generations
JAINA Convention,
Cincinnati 2003
Yashwant K. Malaiya
[email protected]
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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
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Why did Jains survive & Buddhists did not.
Role of Jain Neighborhoods
Jain population trends
Case studies:
– Patan Jains, Agrawals, Gahois
– Parsis, Jews, Swaminarayans
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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 didn’t 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
Year
1881
1891
1901
1911
1921
1931
1941
1951
1961
1971
1981
1991
2001
Jains
Jain%
1221896
0.49%
1416177
0.51%
1334039
0.47%
1248182
0.41%
1178596
0.39%
1252105
0.37%
1449286
0.37%
1618406
0.45%
2027248
0.46%
2604646
0.48%
3,206,038
0.47%
3,352,706
0.40%
• 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:
• Children’s 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 Suri:Tribals
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
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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 25
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.
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