Theme: Voyage to Freedom: Crossing the Ocean

Venue: Canons High School, Edgware.

The Convention began with registration and dinner on Friday evening.  Gift bags were given to all participants with pen, paper, choice of Jain text book, key-ring, book-mark, etc.

Introductory sessions were conducted on Friday evening.

Enthusiasm was Evident Throughout

The next two days concentrated

Presentation

on interactive sessions, breakout sessions, and play acting to bring out a very clear understanding of the soul’s journey, using the body as a vehicle, through the ocean of life, death, rebirth due to the inflow and bondage of karma.  The nine tattvas were covered logically to further understand the auspicious and the inauspicious, stoppage of inflow, annihilation of bondage and liberation.

The popular analogy: of a sailor [soul] in a boat [body] with holes [inlets] allowing clean water [auspicious karma] or filthy water [inauspicious karma] plugging the holes [stoppage] bailing out the water [annihilation of karma] and reaching the shore [liberation]: was used.

Workshop in Progress

Approximately 120 people attended the Convention, with most in the youth age group.

To make it fun to learn, a beach party was played on Saturday night after dinner.  Many activities and games were planned and people seemed to enjoy themselves with tasty bites and drinks as well.

On Sunday, representatives of Jain organisations were invited to attend.  After lunch a final session of Q & A was held with a panel to respond.  Vote of thanks to all concerned and promise to try and join the regular activities of Young Jains brought the Convention to an end on Sunday night.

Please visit http://www.celebratingre.org.uk/ for more details and downloading the material.

Institute of Jainology will be coordinating the activities for those involved with Jain RE. Please email to info@jainology.org to register your interest.

Several papers were presented amongst them, one by Mr Ranjiv Anand, IoJ  Consultant for the JAINpedia project. His paper is one of the papers published by V & A  for international distribution. A copy of his paper is repeated below. Other papers being published at the same time can be seen at:

http://www.vam.ac.uk/res_cons/research/conferences/margins_to_core/index.html

Information available includes conference papers and notes, Christopher Breward’s conference reflections, speakers biographies, video’s and photographs.

The Role of Community Heritage – Rajiv Anand MA,    Museum Consultant

British Jain collections represent some of the most important in the world. These collections are important because they are rare or unique cultural objects, and many are sacred objects to members of the Jain community. The information they contain is also of cultural importance. Access to them is therefore clearly important to the Jain community. The JAINpedia project will make accessible, for the first time, a range of manuscripts and artefacts relevant to the Jain religion and culture and will develop a strong sense of community heritage through a series of exhibitions in the holding collections and associated events.

Jain material in Britain consists of approximately 4,000 unique manuscripts in various UK collections such as the British Library, the Bodleian Library, the Wellcome Trust and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Many of them have never been catalogued or put on public display and access to their host institutions is severely restricted.

Written in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Hindi and Gujarati, these are vitally significant pieces of Jain heritage. The majority of the manuscripts are on paper, palm-leaf, and cloth (some dating back to 1200AD). Many of the documents are highly fragile and susceptible to damage through handling and exposure to light.

The 39 Jain collections at the Victoria & Albert Museum, relating to social and religious life will provide a valuable context to the manuscripts. It is of utmost importance to get the Jain community involved in this work as it develops a sense of community heritage pride and an understanding of this ancient world religion to the wider audience. This is done through outreach initiatives in local community centres, multi-faith institutes, local museums, libraries and archives. We are developing a travelling exhibition to complement the major exhibitions/collections where we will be hosting a selection of
community heritage events till 2012.

It is expected that the Jain community will be active in volunteering at locations across the UK and will be on hand to answer questions, lead on creative heritage activities and promote diversity, tolerance and equality for all. Along with this, we will be working in schools and other locations nationally and hope to see the mutual benefits of collaborative working between the mainstream and the Jain community. We will be evaluating all outreach work in looking at how successfully the wider communities have worked with the specific Jain community and to set benchmarks and targets against this.

We hope to influence the mainstream by offering intercultural and interfaith learning opportunities to an artistic heritage they would not normally have exposure to and aim to collaborate with the widest sections of the mainstream public. With this in mind we are expecting to bring new audiences to Jain community heritage and to examine what impact this will have.
We will also be questioning the issue whether we need to redefine heritage and whose story we are telling. We will also look at what community heritage means to the mainstream and how, as an organisation, we respond to differing views of heritage from the mainstream.
We are planning training for teachers on Jainism and will run a series of INSET afternoons at LEAs throughout the country. These will be focused on the educational material produced through the JAINpedia project and will be led by suitably trained staff.

We will also produce a DVD for public mainstream and voluntary sector workers providing an introduction to the Jain religion and community.

Research has been conducted and has concluded that the main beneficiaries of the project will be:

• T he Jain community of Britain
• Mainstream schools and students who study a plethora of religions in the multi-faith community that is Britain today
• The general public of Britain who are interested in a wide range of cultures that make up Britishness in the 21st Cent.
• Further to this, we hope to attract wider families with pre-school
• children, older people, the unemployed, young people and the disabled along with mainsteam visitors to the holding repositories (BL, Bod Library, V&A and Wellcome Trust Library)

The Voyage Begins

“What goes around comes around”, “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”, “do unto others as you would have done unto you”.

These commonly used phrases often help us makes sense of the world and inform our moral imperative. But sometimes, it is hard for us to make sense of what we consider to be senseless suffering, tragedy and injustice.

Young Jains are hosting the 8th International Convention entitled “Voyage to Freedom: Crossing the Ocean” on Friday 27th to Sunday 29th August 2010.

As the ship of your life fills with water, we will show you how to empty it so you can safely cross the ocean. As your spritual home fills with the dust of karma, we will show you how to close the windows and doors that invite karma in. In your journey through the sands of time, your feet attract this sand, sticking to you for ages, delaying your journey – we will show how to ensure that less sticks and it sticks for less time.

You are invited to take time out and immerse yourself in the fun learning of Jain ideas and philosophy.

The weekend is also a real opportunity for you to meet like-minded people.

Voyage to Freedom, the 2010 Convention will deliver these insights in an easily accessible way so that you will be able to understand and apply them to enhance both your immediate practical life and your long-term need for spiritual fulfillment.

Using modern techniques, interactive workshops, music, story telling, and so many other media, Young Jains will share with you the Law of Karma as described in the timeless tradition, authenticated by scripture and saints, in a way which will impact you here and now, with contemporary relevance.

You will learn the framework of the Tattvas which will empower you to be genuinely forgiving, motivate your spiritual quest, and impact your immediate moral needs.

The event is being delivered by Jains just like you, who have spent the last year learning and imbibing the messages and truths of the Jain faith in their life. There will also be a panel of Jain leaders from a variety of backgrounds.

If you know Young Jains, then you know how much you will gain. If you do not, then come and see how we deliver eternal truth in a contemporary way. The method may be fresh, innovative and young, but it will add value to delegates of all ages and experiences, as many have testified.

Click here to get registration details

He was driven across London from Lambeth Palace to the Oshwal Centre at Potters Bar.
At the Centre he was welcomed by the OAUK President and Vice President, Tushar Shah and  Mr Ashok M Shah  and then introduced to the Trustees and Executive Committee Members of OAUK and Directors of Institute of Jainology.

His Grace the Archbishop Arriving at Oshwal Centre

His Grace in the Board Room being Introduced to the OAUK & IoJ Officers

His Grace with the OAUK President Mr Tushar Shah

He was then escorted round the Temple Gardens and then taken in to the temple. Arshna Sanghrajka explained the significance of the various features in the gardens and the temple and at the same time outlined the salient points  Jain philosophy.

A Walk Around the Temple Gardens

Understanding the Jain Concept of Ahimsa

Arshna Explaining the Finer Points of jain Philosophy

Interfaith leaders, community leaders and heads of Jain organisations had been invited to attend the reception. They had assembled in the Main Hall to welcome His Grace.

Arrival in the Main Hall for the Formal Proceedings

OAUK President, Mr Tushar Shah formally welcomed HIs Grace and members of his party, heads of other other faith and Jain organisations and the members of the Jain community. A short video prepared by the Young Oshwals sketching the history of the Oshwal community from 1500 AD onwards to present day was shown.

Dr Harshad Sanghrajka followed this with the history of Jains in the UK  and their demography.

Dr Mehool Sanghrajka made a brief presentation of the Jainpedia project.
OAUK appreciated the need for funds to manage a complex project like jainpedia and made an outright donation of £12,500 to the Institute. Navnat Vanik Association of the UK also took this opportunity to present the Institute with a donation of £2,500.

OAUK Treasurer Mr Chiman Shah Presenting £12,500 Cheque to IoJ Treasurer Mr Kanti Shah

Navnat President Presenting a Cheque for £2,500 to IoJ Treasurer

The Archbishop addressed the assembly and spoke well about Jainism and its tenets. He highlighted some of the Christian tenets with similar objectives and gave an example from Christianity related to aparigraha.

Mr Chiman Shah Garlanding His Grace

Idol of Lord Mahavira Presented by Mr Tushar Shah

OAUK presented His Grace with a small statue of Bhagwan Mahavir and requested him to keep it in his sight to remind of his visit. The Institute presented His Grace with two sets of Jain literature detailing philosophy, history and architecture.

Institute's Directors Mr Dilip shah & Mr Mahesh Gosrani Presenting the first Jain Literature Pack

Mr Kanti Shah Presenting the Second Pack of Jain Literature

The guests were led to the lower assembly hall for refreshments which were freshly made by the Oshwal ladies.
After meet, greet and a lot of group photographs, the Archbishop and his party departed at 13:20.

With Guests

He and other interfaith representatives were all very pleased with the event and the hospitality. A new relationship has been established which promises to cement it further with more such visits in the future.

The Ground Floor will have a spacious porch, lobby, reception and a cloak room, foyer / hall, dining room, large kitchen, a lift, twin stairways, car park, cycle park and a spacious multipurpose meeting / office room. The first floor will have a Library, a meeting room and three interconnected separate halls together with a display and exhibition space. The Halls will be useful as classrooms, meetings, conferences, as service to humanity and community activities. When fully opened the floor area of the halls will be 4,500 sq ft. Behind the halls there will be two flats with separate entrance.

The top floor will be the main sacred space and place of worship for the Jains. It will house the Temple with shrines for different Jain sects, Upashraya, Terapanth Hall, Shrimad  Rajchandra Jnan Mandeer, and Shrines for Guardian deities, Audio/Visual Room, Exhibition/Display Space together with other amenities such as a Spacious Foyer, a Puja Room and an Office, and two flats behind the temple. The white marble temple of more than 2,600 sq feet itself will be a marvellous construction with carved 22 full and 14 half pillars, carved arches, fully carved vast dome and ceilings, garbha gruha, and display of main Jain places of pilgrimage and will show the Jain architecture at its best.

The temple will have Bhagwan Parsvanath as main image, images of Rushabhdev, Munisuvrat Swami, Mahavir Swami, Simandhar Swami; brass statues of Past, Present and Future twenty four tithankars, depiction of main places of Jain pilgrimage, shrines of Guardian deities such as Manibhadra, Nakoda Bhairav, Ghantakarna Mahavir and Padmavati Mata. We have submitted the planning application and are very confident to get planning approval latest by July.

For further information, please contact Dr Natubhai Shah 020 8455 5573

The Jainpedia project is beginning to gather pace. The British Library will soon have cross sectional representation of  Jain manuscripts along side the most precious and famous items are displayed. This collection also included Magna Carta. Read on:

Treasures of the British Library (The Sir John Ritblat Gallery)/JAINpedia Display:

Introduction:

The John Ritblat Gallery has the subtitle  ‘Treasures of the British Library’ and provides a wealth of history with no admittance charge to its visitors.  The gallery contains a permanent display of some of the British Library’s greatest objects and artefacts, arranged by theme.  It includes documents which made and recorded history, sacred text from the world’s religions, masterpieces of illumination, landmarks of printing, great works of literature and music, and major advances in science and mapmaking.  Items in this gallery may be changed at intervals for preservation reasons and sometimes items are lent to other institutions for exhibitions.  To preserve the items on display, temperature and light levels are low to maintain a suitable environmental condition.   The British Library contains some of the most important Jain manuscripts and artefacts outside of the Indian Sub-Continent.

The British Library have decided to display a small representational cross-section of their manuscript collection in the Treasures Gallery as part of the JAINpedia project and to offer their ongoing interest and support in the digitization of Jain material/manuscripts.  Rajiv Anand (Museum Consultant) will work alongside learning and curatorial staff from the Library also in conjunction with Professor Nalini Balbir the Web Content Director/Expert for JAINpedia.

Location of Jainpedia Display:

The JP display will be prominently exhibited in Treasures Gallery within the Sacred Texts section.  There is an existing small case for Jain objects on display currently alongside a case of Hindu objects.  The JAINpedia case is a state of the art cabinet which is  of a much bigger size is centrally located within the gallery and is in a prime location with good vistas across the space and illuminated manuscripts display.   JAINpedia was originally set for display in The Folio Gallery but Library staff decided against this to highlight the Jain collections as of great value suitable for display in Treasures.  The gallery is centrally located within the Library grounds and gets a respectable number of visitors to view the displays daily.

Timescales for Exhibit:

JAINpedia will be on display in Treasures between September 2010 till March 2011.  This gives exposure to the manuscripts for a seven month period in comparison to two month previously scheduled for Folio Gallery.  In the long term this is a better compromise for the project and a very satisfactory outcome.  The JAINpedia display case is in the same vicinity as the world famous Magna Carta exhibit which will provide a further draw.

Events and Activities:

It is anticipated that to compliment the JAINpedia display a small but comprehensive selection of related programmes in conjunction with Learning and APAC will take place in the Library.  Main events happen around the major exhibitions usually but the staff involved with the display at BL are keen to hold some sort of workshops and schools provision alongside the public programming section,  Prof Nalini Balbir could be approached to give a public talk in the Lecture Theatre/Seminar Rooms looking at issues surrounding Manuscriptology and Sanskrit.   Learning events may happen in late December 10 during the Christmas holidays this could possibly be a Rangoli making event and associated workshops for Jain community and wider public. (A wider selection of events is mentioned in the original display brief)

Manuscript selection and display:

A selection of manuscripts was chosen for the original display brief by the display team including Prof Nalini Balbirs contextual paper suggesting categories and sections.  This may be resurrected for selection again for Treasures display and other artefacts may be brought out for rotation.  It is not decided as to how many objects will be on display as the case is rather sufficient and will be able to house a relative cross section of manuscripts along with branding, narrative text panels and labels.  The display will be promoted through the Library e-newsletter and a link to JP via their website is likely to be created.

Please contact Mr Rajiv Anand (Museum Consultant) at rajiv.anand@jainpedia.org

The V&A Museum will  be hosting the long waited and ambitious JAINpedia display to be exhibited in the prestigious Nehru Gallery of Indian Art.  This gallery houses some of the Museum’s highlights such as Tipoo’s Tiger and Ranjit  Singhs Golden Throne.  It is also home to a rare selection of Jain manuscripts which will be rotated for the new JAINpedia display to open to the public on 14^th May with a series of events and programmes to complement this.  The first such event is Jain Art from India Gallery Talk 20^th May 13.00 hrs in Nehru Gallery.  JAINpedia display will consist of 19 objects including paintings and manuscript covers.  The below tables is a narrative of what visitors to the special display can view free of charge till December 2012.

Please visit http://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/index.html for some more information on the exhibits.

An Example of a Panel from Kalpa Sutra

A summary of his tour report is given here. Photos from this exhaustive tour will b e uploaded in coming days.

Please feel free to make comments or observation on the tour.

Summary Report on Educational Trip to Singapore, Perth and Malaysia

February to April 2010

Harshad N Sanghrajka left for Mumbai on 27^th January and having spent a fortnight in India, took off for Singapore on 12^th February, 2010 to attend the Pratishtha Mahotsava there:

Details of the Mahotsava elsewhere on this site please click here to see it

In one sentence, the event was planned and executed perfectly.

On 17^th February, Harshad left for Perth and delivered a 10 session discussion on Atmasiddhi Shastra to members of the Jain Community of Western Australia.  The course in English was attended mostly by youngsters who could not understand Gujarati well.  The senior members of the community who could converse in Gujarati chose to hold morning sessions at members’ homes.  At the end of the trip, they resolved to form a Jain Seniors Group which would meet on the last Tuesday of each month to discuss selected topics on Jainism.

Malacca was next on the list and discussions were held on a variety of religious topics, in Gujarati in the mornings and English in the evenings from 1^st March to 4^th March.  Malacca was in the throes of a new election of the Gujarati Vanik Sangh of Melaka.

Departure from Melaka brought Harshad and Urmila to Penang.  Two days of discussions in the hall of Gujarati Seva Samaj in the evenings brought over 40 people from a small community.  The reappearance of the majority on the second day proved the popularity of the discussions.

Shri Ashvin Nagbadharia, President of the Samaj was kind enough to drive us from Penang to Ipoh where we had the good fortune to see the Jain temple of Parshvanath Bhagvan.  Shri Bharat Jasani and Tarulataben were perfect hosts and invited the public to a discourse on 10^th March.  Again, a good response of over 40 in a very small Gujarati community in Ipoh which lasted over 2 hours.

At this point it was time to trace our steps back to Singapore, the Lion city.  Atmasiddhi course had been well organised and raring to go.  Gujarati sessions were planned for afternoons with 60+ and English in the after dinner sessions with 50+.  Over 100 certificates were issued to participants.

The last stop on the educational side was Kuala Lumpur.  The 10 days were planned over the Ayambil period and afforded additional time for discussions with the ladies who were present from early morning till late afternoon.  Formally the course was run in Gujarati in the early morning session and English in the after dinner sessions.  A special evening was reserved for youngsters only to address their personal concerns related to Jainism on 1^st April.  Many interesting aspects of everyday life were discussed and explained logically to the satisfaction of all present.  A summary explanation of Paryushan, Pratikraman and rituals generally was delivered using power point slides.

Departure from KL on 2^nd April, with a night stop in Singapore as guests of Shri Bharat and Kirtida Mekani brought back the pleasant memories of the pratishtha and course activities in Singapore.  We said a final farewell to all the EC Members at the Sangh Sthanak on 3^rd, spent a couple of nights in Mumbai and arrived in Dubai on 5^th.  Four days of pleasant sightseeing in Dubai and back to London on 9^th April to the comforts of home-sweet-home.

Grateful thanks to all organisations and individuals who made our trip pleasant and comfortable.

http://www.writeaway.org.uk/component/option,com_weblinks/Itemid,23/   

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