Jainism in the United States
Encyclopedia
Adherents of Jainism
first arrived in the United States in the 20th century. The most significant time of Jain immigration was in the early 1970s. The United States has since become a center of the Jain Diaspora.
in 1904. After the fair, the temple was moved to Las Vegas and later to Los Angeles
. It is now owned by the Jain Society of Los Angeles. Virachand Gandhi
is considered a key figure in the history of American Jainism as the first practicing Jain to speak publicly in the United States about Jainism.
The first Jain monk to travel to the United States, known as Chitrabhanu, arrived in 1971. He gave several lectures about Jainism at Harvard University
and established a Jain center in New York
. In 1975 a second Jain monk, Acharya Sushil Kumarji, arrived in the United States. He established multiple Jain centers. In the 1980s the Federation of Jain Associations in North America was founded to support the Jain community in the United States and Canada.
As of 2010 the United States contained the most Jain temples of any country in the Jain diaspora. At least one third of the Jains living outside of India live in the United States, numbering close to 100,000. Jain temples in the United States, which numbered 26 as of 2006, frequently incorporate marble and arches in a style reminiscent of Rajasthan architecture. There are almost 100 distinct Jain congregations in the United States.
Many Jains in the United States are often employed in white-collar
occupations. They also frequently volunteer at animal welfare organizations.
and Digambara
communities are not seen as significant to most Jains in the United States. He also notes that Jain temples in North America are rarely associated with a specific sect, as they often are in India or the United Kingdom.
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
first arrived in the United States in the 20th century. The most significant time of Jain immigration was in the early 1970s. The United States has since become a center of the Jain Diaspora.
History
The first Jain temple in the United States was built for the St. Louis World's FairLouisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
in 1904. After the fair, the temple was moved to Las Vegas and later to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. It is now owned by the Jain Society of Los Angeles. Virachand Gandhi
Virachand Gandhi
Virachand Raghavji Gandhi from Mahuva represented Jains at the first World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 and won a silver medal. Gandhi was most likely the first Jain & First Gujarati to travel to the United States and his statue still stands at the Jain temple in Chicago...
is considered a key figure in the history of American Jainism as the first practicing Jain to speak publicly in the United States about Jainism.
The first Jain monk to travel to the United States, known as Chitrabhanu, arrived in 1971. He gave several lectures about Jainism at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and established a Jain center in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In 1975 a second Jain monk, Acharya Sushil Kumarji, arrived in the United States. He established multiple Jain centers. In the 1980s the Federation of Jain Associations in North America was founded to support the Jain community in the United States and Canada.
As of 2010 the United States contained the most Jain temples of any country in the Jain diaspora. At least one third of the Jains living outside of India live in the United States, numbering close to 100,000. Jain temples in the United States, which numbered 26 as of 2006, frequently incorporate marble and arches in a style reminiscent of Rajasthan architecture. There are almost 100 distinct Jain congregations in the United States.
Many Jains in the United States are often employed in white-collar
White-collar worker
The term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
occupations. They also frequently volunteer at animal welfare organizations.
Analysis
Vinod Kapasi has argued that the differences between the SvetambaraSvetambara
The Śvētāmbara is one of the two main sects of Jainism, the other being the Digambar. Śvētāmbara "white-clad" is a term describing its ascetics' practice of wearing white clothes, which sets it apart from the Digambara "sky-clad" Jainas, whose ascetic practitioners go naked...
and Digambara
Digambara
Digambara "sky-clad" is one of the two main sects of Jainism. "Sky-clad" has many different meaning and associations throughout Indian religions. Many representations of deities within these traditions are depicted as sky-clad, e.g. Samantabhadra/Samantabhadrī in Yab-Yum...
communities are not seen as significant to most Jains in the United States. He also notes that Jain temples in North America are rarely associated with a specific sect, as they often are in India or the United Kingdom.
Further reading
- Jainism in America Bhuvanendra Kumar. Benaras, Jain Humanities Press, 1996
- The Western Order of Jainism by Nathubhai Shah of London (Jain Journal Vol XXX1, No 1 July 1996)
- Jains and Their Religion in America: A Social Survey by Dr. Bhuvannendra Kumar (Jain Journal Vol XXX1, No 1 July 1996)