Editorial Thought

Summary

Editorial Reflection on Jain Intellectual Legacy and Missionary Outreach This editorial outlines the ongoing mission of Jinamañjari to preserve and extend the intellectual and spiritual legacy of Jain thinkers such as Virchand Raghavji Gandhi, Champat Rai Jain, and Jugmandir Lal Jaini, whose pioneering work introduced Jainism to the West during the 19th and 20th centuries. Their efforts were complemented by Dr. Kamata Prasad Jain, who notably established the World Jain Mission and sought to harmonize Digambara and Śvetāmbara traditions. While Western outreach flourished, the Bhattāraka orthodoxy in southern India enforced caste exclusions, alienating occupational groups like farmers—seen today in the Setvāl and Nāmadhārī Gowda communities in Maharashtra and Karnataka. The editorial profiles Dr. Kamata Prasad Jain’s profound influence on Western Jain converts such as Miss E.G. Ollenbittle and Elizabeth Fraser, the latter known for drawing theological parallels between Pārśva and Jesus, including references to “Four and Twenty Elders” in the Revelation of St. John. Dr. Jain also impacted Indian and international intellectuals: i) Acharya Rajneesh (Osho) gained prominence at the 1961 International Ahimsa Conference in Guna, organized by the Madhya Pradesh branch of WJM. ii) Prof. Lothar Wendel of Hamburg, who taught at BITS Pilani, became a staunch Jain influenced by Kamataji. His metaphysical interpretation of pajjāya/paryāya (change or manifestation) led to personal reconversion to Jainism by the editorial author, and also influenced Prem Jain, a California-based tech entrepreneur. The piece situates this legacy within a larger context of lay Jain activism. Quoting Helmuth von Glasenapp, it highlights how figures like Ātmārāmji, Vijayadharmasūri, and organizations like the Jain Literature Society (founded in London, 1910), as well as the Bharat Jaina Mahāmaṇḍala (Madras, 1910), spearheaded intellectual and proselytizing work. English-writing Jain scholars—including J.L. Jaini, P.C. Nahar, A.B. Lathe, Champat Rai Jain, and Muni Jinavijaya—contributed to global engagement, enriching Jain literature and attracting Western interest. The editorial closes with Prof. Wendel’s warning: avoiding missionary work due to internal concerns fosters sectarianism and moral detachment, contradicting the universalism of the Tīrthaṅkaras. Nonetheless, as noted by Mahavir Sanglikar, contemporary Western interest in Jainism remains strong, particularly in the U.S., Europe, and Australia.