| Q: |
What is the Objective of the Digamber Jain Sangh of North America (DJSNA)? |
| A: |
The objective of DJSNA is to preserve the minority tradition within the larger Sangh at both the local and national levels. One should be aware of the fact that most of the present Sanghs in North America were & are established by the active participation of the minority tradition members. DJSNA does not have any intention of leaving or seeing a split in these Sanghs. If anything, DJSNA will work to achieve greater unity and strength within the Jain Community of North America by celebrating the practice of Unity with Diversity in the true Spirit of Anekantavad.
DJSNA was initiated by concerned 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation Digamber Jains who felt it was critical that the traditions that their forefathers handed down to them were preserved in their new homeland of North America. Many felt that the Digamber Minority tradition was not having adequate or proper worshipping places, lack of proper religious literature and audio & visual media content, and a lack of coordination among the Jain Centers of North America of well trained Digamber Scholars to properly teach and educate them of their traditions so they could be passed onto future generations. There was a sense of urgency among many Digambers that there was no organization that was properly concerned about the representation of minority traditions at the local centers and at the national organizations of Jains.
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| Q: |
What are the main goals of the DJSNA? |
| A: |
The DJSNA, as per its constitution and in spirit will:
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- Work towards a true and lasting Jain Unity and increase in harmony at both the local and national levels based on mutual understanding and respect for the feelings and needs of others.
- Educate the Jain Community on the scientifically based principles of our religion.
- Provide for the needs of the Minority Traditions in terms of Coordination of Scholar Visitation, Religious Texts, Audio-Video Material, and other Activities in order to facilitate a better understanding of our religion and its traditions.
- To arrange for areas of worshipping, meditation, swadhaya and bhakti under one roof, in the hope of avoiding scheduling conflicts and disturbances in religious practices within the Jain community.
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| Q: |
Why is the creation of a Sangh necessary to establish an identity? |
| A: |
It is very difficult for minority groups to preserve their traditions without being united and recognized as a group within the larger Jain community with specific needs that must be addressed at the local centers as well as the national level. The Sangh will also enable the members to coordinate religious activities, Jinvani publication & distribution, scholar visitations and other activities in order to preserve and grow its traditions.
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| Q: |
Is it true that the minority traditions are not being properly represented and taken care of in many of the Jain Centers in North America? |
| A: |
Through many years of collective personal experiences, we are all well aware of the neglect and suppression that minority groups in most of the centers are experiencing at both the local and national level in North America. Members of minority groups often find themselves at a disadvantage in terms of space or time allotted at local centers for worship, scholar visitations, and active participation in administration. Many local centers do not have any Digamber Pratimas, which makes it difficult for the minority tradition to worship and pass on their traditions to the next generation.
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| Q: |
Will minority groups participate in the financial responsibility of maintaining their local centers? |
| A: |
First, in the spirit of Vatslya-Ang Bhavna, a true Jain will not raise this question of finances in relation to establishing and running places of religious worship if a united Jain community is truly desired. Secondly, if one looks into the financial accounts of most of the present Jain Centers in North America, one finds that minority traditions have always actively participated, often contributing more then their fair share in establishing these centers, often to lose interest upon subsequently facing an inequitable environment.
JCA New York with its new temple is an example and proof where minority groups are not only contributing more than their fair share financially, but also are increasingly participating in cultural, religious, educational and administrative activities of the Sangh, helping to forge a real and long lasting Unity with Diversity. We have seen in the JCA New York Center, as the minority traditions were given equitable place & time for proper worshipping, the ownership stake they felt of their Jain Center, resulted in greater financial contributions and participation than their proportionate share.
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| Q: |
Is there any example in North America where separate places of worship for all Jains and minority groups has been successfully established in one center? |
| A: |
Fortunately, there now is. The Jain Center of America, New York, which is the oldest and largest Jain Center in North America, is a living example of Unity with Diversity in Practice in North America. In the new JCA NY complex, all of the different Jain traditions are represented and all Jains are able to perform their rituals simultaneously under one roof. Afterwards they all are able to enjoy cultural activities and Swamivatsalya together. A visit to the JCA NY website (www.nyjaincenter.org), or even better a visit to the JCA NY Center, allows one to witness the ideal place of Jain pilgrimage in North America. One visit to this unique Jain Center, puts to rest all the criticism and concerns one may have for this model of Unity with Diversity and represents the future model for all Jain Centers in North America. We request all of you to visit the JCA Temple Complex in New York, to get a feeling of a True pilgrim place for All Jains in North America.
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| Q: |
Is DJSNA a Non Profit Tax Exempt Religious Organization with the IRS? |
| A: |
We are happy to inform you that the IRS has approved the registration of the Digamber Jain Sangh of North America (DJSNA), and we have received the Tax Exempt Status under IRS Code Section 501 (C) (3). Our Tax EIN # is 34-2058033. DJSNA's legal name is Digamber Jain Sangh Foundation of North America, Inc. It is a Non-for-Profit Domestic Corporation registered in the State of New York. As of now we are not registered in Canada.
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| Q: |
How can I become a Registered Member of DJSNA? |
| A: |
Please go to the DJSNA.org home page and in the box marked DJSNA Member Log In please click on the Register Here link. After this you will get the Membership Registration Page. Please fill in all the required information to Register. After Confirming your Membership Registration, you will receive an Email from DJSNA asking you to Activate your Membership, this will confirm your correct email address in our system. After clicking on the link in the Activation Email, your Registration will be Activated and go for Approval to the DJSNA Membership Committee. After the DJSNA Membership Committee Approves your Registration, you will get an Approval Email within 48hrs from DJSNA finalizing your Membership. After this you can access the DJSNA Members Area.
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| Q: |
How can I update my information once I have become a Member of DJSNA? |
| A: |
Please go to the DJSNA.org home page and in the box marked DJSNA Member Log
In please click on the Update Your Profile link. After this you will get
the Registration Form that you filled out when you Registered. You can
update or change any information that you entered here, including your
Password. As of now you cannot change your Email Address. If you want to
change your Email Address, please register again with your new Email
Address. If you change your Email Address, you will again have to
Re-Activate your Membership by clicking on the Activation Email you will
receive from DJSNA that will confirm your new email address.
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| Q: |
Why do I have to share my information with other DJSNA Members? |
| A: |
By sharing your information with other Approved DJSNA Members, you will have the ability to contact and search for other DJSNA Members. For instance, Members from Ahmedabad, Indore or Boston can search for other Members from those Cities. You will also have the ability to search for other Members that may have graduated from the same College as you. As we further improve the system, Members will be able to contact other Members that may have suitable matches for their children in the DJSNA Network. Please note if you are not willing to share your information, you will not have access to the DJSNA Members Area.
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| Q: |
What are Google Groups, Google Gmail, Google Picasa Pictures & Video and Google Talk? |
| A: |
These are for the most part, free tools that are provided by Google, which members can use for their own personal use. In fact the DJSNA Photo Gallery & Video content as well as the DJSNA Group Emails and DJSNA Group Calendar are all hosted on Google platform. Google Talk can be used to communicate via your computer with any other DJSNA member across the world for free.
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| Q: |
How can I join the DJSNA Google Group? |
| A: |
Once you have become an Approved Member of DJSNA, we will send you an email asking you to join the DJSNA Google Group. Please enter you email address and the other required information to join the DJSNA Google Group.
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| Q: |
How can I contact the different Committees of DJSNA via Email? |
| A: |
Please see the Emails below and the corresponding DJSNA Committees.
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| Q: |
How do I contact the different Regional DJSNA Committee Members? |
| A: |
Please go to the DJSNA Committees Tab on top of the Home Page and there you will get the different Regional Committees Members Names, Telephone numbers and Email addresses.
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