Jaina Education Committee Activity Report 2011/10

JAINA: Federation of Jain Associations in North America

Jain Ritual Sutra Book (Samayik, Pratikraman, and Chaitya-vandan Sutras Book)

We have completed the compilation of most of the Samayik, Chaityavandan and Pratikraman sutras of Swetambar tradition. The Sutras of Sthanakvasi tradition are being coordinated Shweta Daftary of Dallas TX and targeted to complete by February 2012.  We need the help from Digambar community to compile the sutras of their tradition.

Each Sutra file will contain Original Sutra in unicode font, its English transliteration (Arial font), simple meaning of each stanza in English and overall general meaning of the entire sutra in simple English.  We plan to publish all three books separately.

As we compile the file of each sutra, we upload them into the Jain eLibrary website (Word 7 docx formatted file and also its pdf file) for your review, comments, suggestions, corrections and use.  Many of the Svetambar Sutras are already uploaded in Jain eLibrary website at the Jain eLibrary website following link.  We will continue to upload remaining sutras as we compile them.  Please visit the link on a weekly basis.

Go to Jain eLibrary Website Home Page - http://www.jainelibrary.org/
Please register your e-mail id, if you have not done in the past.  (More than 9800 e-mails have been registered over the past two years)
Sign-in your e-mail id
Click the link "Jain Ritual Text Data" located in the left column
On the result page of List of Ritual Text data - Click the link "Sutra_Svetambar"
You will see the list of uploaded sutras and pdf and Docx icons for you to view and download the files.
(Note - Please do not go to www.jaina.org website - most of Education committee links do not work their)

We are thankful to many individuals - Hiral Shah of Ahmedabad/UK, Anupamaben Varia of Toronto, Shweta Daftary of Dallas TX, Darshnaben Shah of Chicago, Neha Zaveri of Colorado, and many more. 

We have also used the literature authored by Muni Shri Nirvan Sagarji, Shri Dhirajlal Panditji, Shri Prabhudas Parekh, Shri Manubhai Doshi, Dr Mukesh Doshi, Shri Harendra Shah, Dr. Surendra Singhvi, Pravin Shah, and Dr. Ratibhai Dodhia.

The Svetambar sutra book is targeted to print in April 2012. 

Reminder - JAINA Teachers' National Conference 2012 - Memorial Day Weekend at Los Angeles

Dates: May  25-26-27-28, 2012 (Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon)

The conference is hosted by Jain Center of Southern California (Los Angeles - JCSC).  All the participants will be staying with the host family of JCSC in homes with   Pathshala teachers and volunteers for the duration of the conference and meals will be provided by the Jain Center. It is open only to Pathshala teachers, scholars, and educators of North America and other countries who could participate to enhance our Education curriculum and material.
The overall coordinators for the conference are

• Sailes Jain ( - 714 529 5874)
• Rajul Vasa ( - 562 860 7273

Registration will open in January 2012.  Details of registration and programs will be provided at that time.

Jain eLibrary Project - www.jainelibrary.org

To protect, preserve, and disseminate the ancient and contemporary Jain literature, the JAINA Education Committee in cooperation with Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra, Koba, Ahmedabad, and Prachya Vidyapith Sajapur MP  launched eLibrary project three years ago.  Under this project the Jain literatures is converted electronically into eBooks (pdf files) and make them available free of charge via the website to the readers worldwide who are interested in Jain religion and its philosophy.  We add about 15000 pages of Jain literature every month. Please review the website and provide us any feedback you might have.  You can buy any Jaina Education Material from this website.

The entire project is financed through contribution from the Jain communities and others of North America, India, and other parts of the world.
Over the past two years more than 9800 eLibrary users from 75 countries have registered their emails to download the literature available on the website.  During this time 84,000 books have been downloaded by the members.  Also during this time we have continued to add 15,000 pages per month of the Jain literature on the website.  Now the website contains more than two million pages of scanned images of Jain Literature. 
You can also order the Jaina Education materials, eLibrary DVDs, and pay for your order or donate to Jaina Education and eLibrary activities at this website.  The following is the statics of the website displayed on the home page on October 23, 2011.

Jaina Education Committee’s Request for Your Support
The primary activities of Jaina Education Committee are as follows: 

• To prepare, publish, and distribute Jain Pāthashālā Education Material to support all Jain Centers of North America.  We have about 3500 students attending Pāthashālā at various Jain centers and local Jain residences in North America.
• To support YJA and YJP activities by providing Educational Material free of charge during their conventions.
• To support Jain Academic Bowl activities during Jaina convention.
• To support Jain eLibrary website in order to provide reference literature to the Pāthashālā teachers, students, adult Swādhyāy groups, and Jain academicians around the world.
• To support Jain summer school (ISSJS) program and Jain scholars and academicians by providing them Jain educational material.

In addition to the above activities, the committee has supported, Jaina Exhibition committee, Jaina Interfaith committee, and published Ashtāpad literature to support Ashtāpad project of Jain Center of New York.

The success of Jaina Education Pāthashālā Books and eLibrary activities are well known to all of you.  In fact all our activities are very successful.
We spend about $20,000 more than what we receive in sale of our Educational book.  Hence we need to raise $ 20,000 in contribution every year in order to continue Jaina Education activities in a similar manner.

We are looking for 200 Jain families who can support $100 per year or Rs. 5000 per year for next 5 years or $500/ Rs.25000 one time contribution within next five years.  If you would like to make such commitment to support our education activities, please send us an e-mail of your commitment.  Please include name, address, telephone, e-mail and commitment amount and any special instruction in your e-mail. 

Please help us to publicize this request by circulating to your society members, friends and relatives. 

The list of all supporters and Account summary will be published in the next report.  At present the committee has about $7000 balance in the account.

Please continue your generosity so that the committee can continue to work to fulfill Jain educational needs of our children of North America.  Many other countries have also benefited from our material.

Please make your contribution check (US dollars) to JAINA - Education Committee and mail it at following address. 

(Do not mail your contribution directly to the JAINA Headquarters.  The committee needs to keep proper record before it is deposited in the JAINA account).

Jaina Education Committee
509 Carriage Woods Circle
Raleigh, NC 27607 USA
+1-919-859-4994

If you would like to contribute in Indian Rupees, please make your contribution cheque/draft to “Shree Gyanvardhak Charitable Trust” and mail it to the following address.  This trust is a part of the Jain eLibrary project.

Shree Gyanvardhak Charitable Trust
C/O Arihant Graphics
Nanakram Super Market, Shop No F-20,
Ramnagar, Sabarmati,
Ahmedabad - 380005 (Gujarat) India
+91 99988 90335

Your contribution is tax deductible in Dollars in USA and in Rupees in India.
With very high regards,
Pravin K. Shah, Chairperson
Jaina Education Committee
+1 919 859 4994
+1 919 889 1900 Cel