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DJSNA - About Us
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Jai Jinendra,
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We are happy to inform you that the IRS has approved the registration of the Digamber Jain Sangh of North America (DJSNA), and we have received the Tax Exempt Status under IRS Code Section 501 (C) (3).
From the very inception of DJSNA, in spirit and as mentioned in its constitution and by-laws, this organization is established to preserve the oldest tradition of our Jain religion in North America within the Unity of all Jains. DJSNA intends to bring a better understanding, exposure and respect of this tradition in order to bring about a real & lasting unity among all Jains in North America.
This Sangh is not established to create a separate entity for Jains in this part of the world, but to maintain our identity within the unity of all Jains with different traditions following the fundamental principal of Anekantwad. By respecting each of our tradition's diversity, we foster and enhance our Jain unity.
In order to fulfill our objectives, we need to maintain our membership directory. Please go to the DJSNA Member Login Section on the DJSNA.org Home Page and Register On-Line. It will take about 10 minutes to complete the registration process. As part of Dharma Prabhawana, please ask your family & friends to register on-line to become a member of this Sangh to preserve and promote this great tradition for our future generations.
Upon completion and approval of your registration, we will mail each family a set of religious books to start a mini-library for their house, followed by various audio-visual materials to enhance our knowledge of Jainism, one of the most practical, logical and scientific religion's in the world.
We have planned Six Regional DJSNA Committees to facilitate and accelerate the registration of members and coordinate activities. Please contact all your family & friends following the Digamber Tradition and encourage them to register and become members of DJSNA. We plan to have a preliminary directory of DJSNA before the next JAINA Convention in July 2007. As part of Dharma Prabhawana, each member of DJSNA in your region should be requested to register all his or her friends and family members.
We are already in the process of setting up a satellite DJSNA office in Indore, India. This office will facilitate the production, collection and distribution of Religious Books, CD's, DVD's, and other materials for educational & religious use to our DJSNA members in North America.
We have already started to contact Scholars in India who will be helping us with the translation of our religious literature into English. In this way, our English speaking generation will be able to learn more about our religion and participate in our religious rituals and poojas in ways that are educational and informative.
The DJSNA Indore office will also have a bookstore, from where selected religious books will be shipped to our members in North America, as part of our free Jinwani distribution to all our registered members. An initial mailing of these book sets was done during the 2006 Das Laxan Parva to all the DJSNA Founding Members.
DJSNA will also be working towards training a group of scholars to visit our Jain Centers in North America to educate our present and future generations in the principles and practices of our religion.
The following members have kindly agreed to help coordinate various activities of DJSNA.
Executive Committees of DJSNA
| Coordination | | Dr. Mahendra Pandya, Dr. Tansukh Salgia, Mr. Navindra Jain |
| Membership | | Mr. Ashok Sethi |
| Finance | | Mr. Prakash Paharia |
| Secretary | | Mr. Rajeev Pandya |
| Website | | Mr. Vinod Daryapurkar, Mr. Rajeev Pandya, Mr. Basant Jain,
Mr. Sanjay Patni, Mr. Arvind Bobra, Mr. Chinmay Jain
Mr. Bharathesh Shetty |
| Education/Publication | | Dr. Dilip Bobra, Mr. Yashwant Malaiya |
| Fundraising | | Dr. Chandra Khasgiwala, Mr. Navindra Jain, Mr. Sanjay Pandya |
| Religious Activities | | Mr. Anand Jain, Dr. Kirit Gosalia, Mr. Niranjan Shah,
Mr. Nitin Ajmera |
| Temple Resources | | Dr. Mahendra Pandya, Mr. Ashok Sethi, Mr. Ashok Patni |
| YJA/YJP | | Ms. Surbhi Pandya, Ms. Minaxi Shah, Miss. Shilpa Pandya |
| Scholars Visitation | | Dr. Mahendra Pandya, Mr. Ashok Sethi, Mr. Rajeev Pandya |
| Matrimonial | | Mr. Hasmukh Shah |
Regional Committees of DJSNA
Please contact the committee members in your region and help them to register all of your friends and family members. Please contact us at membership@DJSNA.org for the activities and committees of DJSNA you will like to participate in.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS & ANSWERS REGARDING
THE DIGAMBER JAIN SANGH OF NORTH AMERICA (DJSNA)
| Q: |
What is the Objective of the Digamber Jain Sangh of North America (DJSNA)? |
| A: |
The objective of DJSNA is to preserve the minority tradition within the larger Sangh at both the local and national levels. One should be aware of the fact that most of the present Sanghs in North America were & are established by the active participation of the minority tradition members. DJSNA does not have any intention of leaving or seeing a split in these Sanghs. If anything, DJSNA will work to achieve greater unity and strength within the Jain Community of North America by celebrating the practice of Unity with Diversity in the true Spirit of Anekantavad.
DJSNA was initiated by concerned 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation Digamber Jains who felt it was critical that the traditions that their forefathers handed down to them were preserved in their new homeland of North America. Many felt that the Digamber Minority tradition was not having adequate or proper worshipping places, lack of proper religious literature and audio & visual media content, and a lack of coordination among the Jain Centers of North America of well trained Digamber Scholars to properly teach and educate them of their traditions so they could be passed onto future generations.
There was a sense of urgency among many Digambers that there was no organization that was properly concerned about the representation of minority traditions at the local centers and at the national organizations of Jains. |
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| Q: |
What are the main goals of the DJSNA? |
| A: |
The DJSNA, as per its constitution and in spirit will:
- Work towards a true and lasting Jain Unity and increase in harmony at both the local and national levels based on mutual understanding and respect for the feelings and needs of others.
- Educate the Jain Community on the scientifically based principles of our religion.
- Provide for the needs of the Minority Traditions in terms of Coordination of Scholar Visitation, Religious Texts, Audio-Video Material, and other Activities in order to facilitate a better understanding of our religion and its traditions.
- To arrange for areas of worshipping, meditation, swadhaya and bhakti under one roof, in the hope of avoiding scheduling conflicts and disturbances in religious practices within the Jain community.
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| Q: |
Why is the creation of a Sangh necessary to establish an identity? |
A: |
It is very difficult for minority groups to preserve their traditions without being united and recognized as a group within the larger Jain community with specific needs that must be addressed at the local centers as well as the national level. The Sangh will also enable the members to coordinate religious activities, Jinvani publication & distribution, scholar visitations and other activities in order to preserve and grow its traditions. |
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| Q: |
Is it true that the minority traditions are not being properly represented and taken care of in many of the Jain Centers in North America? |
| A: |
Through many years of collective personal experiences, we are all well aware of the neglect and suppression that minority groups in most of the centers are experiencing at both the local and national level in North America. Members of minority groups often find themselves at a disadvantage in terms of space or time allotted at local centers for worship, scholar visitations, and active participation in administration. Many local centers do not have any Digamber Pratimas, which makes it difficult for the minority tradition to worship and pass on their traditions to the next generation. |
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| Q: |
Will minority groups participate in the financial responsibility of maintaining their local centers? |
A: |
First, in the spirit of Vatslya-Ang Bhavna, a true Jain will not raise this question of finances in relation to establishing and running places of religious worship if a united Jain community is truly desired. Secondly, if one looks into the financial accounts of most of the present Jain Centers in North America, one finds that minority traditions have always actively participated, often contributing more then their fair share in establishing these centers, often to lose interest upon subsequently facing an inequitable environment.
JCA New York with its new temple is an example and proof where minority groups are not only contributing more than their fair share financially, but also are increasingly participating in cultural, religious, educational and administrative activities of the Sangh, helping to forge a real and long lasting Unity with Diversity. We have seen in the JCA New York Center, as the minority traditions were given equitable place & time for proper worshipping, the ownership stake they felt of their Jain Center, resulted in greater financial contributions and participation than their proportionate share. |
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| Q: |
Is there any example in North America where separate places of worship for all Jains and minority groups has been successfully established in one center? |
| A: |
Fortunately, there now is. The Jain Center of America, New York, which is the oldest and largest Jain Center in North America, is a living example of Unity with Diversity in Practice in North America. In the new JCA NY complex, all of the different Jain traditions are represented and all Jains are able to perform their rituals simultaneously under one roof. Afterwards they all are able to enjoy cultural activities and Swamivatsalya together.
A visit to the JCA NY website (www.nyjaincenter.org), or even better a visit to the JCA NY Center, allows one to witness the ideal place of Jain pilgrimage in North America. One visit to this unique Jain Center, puts to rest all the criticism and concerns one may have for this model of Unity with Diversity and represents the future model for all Jain Centers in North America. We request all of you to visit the JCA Temple Complex in New York, to get a feeling of a True pilgrim place for All Jains in North America. |
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Below please find the picture of Sri Adinath Jinalaya ~ Digamber Tradition ~ at the Jain Center of America, New York representing true Jain Unity with Diversity in Practice. Please also refer to the back of the cover page of the current and next few issues of the JAINA Digest promoting Jain Unity with Diversity. We request all of you to visit the JCA Temple Complex in New York, to get a feeling of a True pilgrim place for All Jains in North America.
Please call or email us with any other questions or concerns. We would be happy to discuss them with you in the spirit of Jain Unity & Anekantavad. Please do not forget to Register on-line at www.DJSNA.org. For any information please Email us at membership@DJSNA.org.
We wish you a very Happy, Healthy, Prosperous and Peaceful New Year.
Jainam Jayati Shasanam
Mahendra Pandya
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Tansukh Salgia
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Navindra Jain
Prakash Paharia
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Rajeev Pandya
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Sri Adinath Jinalaya ~ Digamber Tradition ~ Jain Center of America, New York
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