Jains Prominent In Parliament of World Religions

By Mr. Vinod Kapashi

The third council of the Parliament of World Religions took place in Cape Town, South Africa between 1st December & 8th December 1999. Representatives from all the major (and minor!) world religions met, in the words of the council organisers, "to experiences astonishing spiritual and cultural variety, to exchange insights, to share wisdom, and to celebrate their unique religious identities".

The first council for the Parliament, held in 1893, was an historical occasion, as this was the first time Jainism had really been introduced to the outside world. Virchand Raghavji Gandhi gave as inspiring address explaining the principles of Ahimsa which was received with great enthusiasm by those delegates attending. This tradition of placing Jainism on the world map at the parliament has continued, both at the 1993 revival of the council, and at the recent 1999 meeting.

Organisers estimated that the final attendance at the council was somewhere in the region of 7,500 delegates, including over 350 journalists from all over the world. As well as discussing opportunities for achieving harmony between the world's religions, delegates discussed some of the most pressing issues facing humanity at the present time, including the AIDS epidemic, the impending environmental taxation.

Amongst the representative present was a delegation of 30 Jains coordinated by the Institute of Jainology. Some of the world's most prominent Jain leaders were present as speakers, including Acharya Chandaniji, Dr. L. M. Singhvi, Dr. N. P. Jain, Satish Kumar and Sadhvishri Shilapiji. Shri Chitrabhanu was unable to attend, but had a lecture read on his behalf by Dr. N. P. Jain.

Over three thousand delegates attended the opening ceremony on 1st December, held in the Good Hope Center. Acharya Chandanaji was one of many religious leaders who gave a blessing to this event. The first day of the council also saw the lighting of the International Peace Flame in Cape Town's infamous District 6, the site of appalling violence against black South Africans in the 1960s.

Many diverse and exciting issues relating to Jainism both directly and indirectly were raised at the event. December 2nd saw Dr. Singhvi give one of his several addresses, "The Future of Faith Traditions and the State of the Future". Speaking about the decline of faith traditions, Dr. Singhvi commented that "Humankind may have become less religious in the traditional sense, but we cannot allow ourselves to become less ethical or less spiritual".

The same day saw Dr. N. P. Jain give an address on global commitment to the culture of non-violence. Dr. Jain spoke about the 'Supreme Religion' of Ahimsa, and encouraged its practice as an effective weapon in the protection of the environment.

Sunday 5th December saw Judy Sole, founder and leader of the South Africa Green Party, give an inspiring address on non-violence, and the need to re-address our attitudes to the animal kingdom as well as fellow humans. Her speech, emotively entitled "Auschwitz for Animals", talked of the suffering of animals who are the victims of factory and battery farming. She ended her presentation with a call to all the world's religions to firmly advocate the proper treatment of the environment. "A climate of non-violence to animals", she explained , "will automatically extend to non-violence towards human beings".

Delegates were also addressed by Satish Kumar, who participated in the assembly of 300 selected religious leaders where he contributed ideas on the relevance of Jainism in solving the environmental problems of the world. Satish was also on the stage together with the Dalai Lama, Vinod Kapashi, Bava Jain and Natubhai Shah (as part of a gathering of 40 religious leaders from around the world ) for a blessing of the Parliament.

Later the same day, Nelson Mandela addressed the parliament on the subject of religions, saying of the coming century, "religion will have a crucial role to play in guiding humanity to meet the tremendous challenges we face". Mandela also received awards from the Temple of Understanding and the World Movement for Non-Violence, which he dedicated to "the millions of unsung men and women who courageously refuse to bow to humanity's baser instincts". 

The closing plenary on December 8th was given by the Dalai Lama, known world-wide for his non-violent philosophies. His short address took the form of a call to positive action to combat religion-related conflicts, poverty corruption and other worldly ills; "Changes only take place through action - not through prayer, not through inter-faith actions". He also commended the parliament, however, complimenting the "genuine respect for each other's traditions seen in this gathering". His sentiments were echoed by South Africa's Deputy President Jacob Zuma, who challenged members of the parliament to raise their ideals from the level of "private morality" to "values of common good".

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Sources : Article from "Jain Spirit" Authored By Mr. Vinod Kapashi

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