The Pluralism Project at Harvard University
On Common Ground: World Religions in America:
Jainism
The ancient Jain tradition traces its spiritual heritage to a series of teachers called tirthankaras or "ford-makers," those who spiritually crossed the river of this ever-changing life to become fully realized and liberated beings. One of the most important of the tirthankaras, Mahavira, lived in India at about the time of the Buddha in the 6th century BCE. Because each soul may become liberated, the Jains have always had a strong ethic of non-violence which extends to a positive respect for all forms of life, including animal life.
Not surprisingly, the Jains who have immigrated to the United States have become an important voice in discussions of vegetarianism and animal rights. The Jain community in America began only in the late 1960s as a response to the Immigration Act of 1965, which opened the door to wider immigration from Asia and especially encouraged the immigration of "members of professions of exceptional ability and their spouses and children." Many young Jains studying at American universities have decided to take up residence in the United States. Later, political turmoil in East African states forced a second migration of a number of Indians. In the early 1990s, the World Jain Congress estimated that there are approximately 25,000 Jains in the United States. Reprinted from World Religions in Boston.
Introduction to Jainism
Jainism in America
The Jain Experience
Issues for Jains in America
Reprinted by permission from On Common Ground: World Religions in America, published by Columbia University Press (1-800-944-8648).