In May 2019, Jaina Education Committee launched a new blog called "Jainism: Know It, Understand It & Internalize It". The blog can be accessed at: https://jainism-says.blogspot.com/

This blog addresses contemporary and challenging questions that are faced by youth, professionals, pathshala students and teachers in today’s world. There are wide range of questions from basic to complex ones that involve experiences of modern times on various topics like Ahimsa, Rituals, Climate Crisis, Gender Equality, Social Issues, Cleanliness, Health and Medicines, Profession/Business, Penance, Philosophy, Literature, and many others. The purpose of the blog is to deepen individuals’ understanding about Jain values/principles, create a positive and enriching experience about the religion, enhance spiritual growth and answer questions for curious minds who want to understand rather than follow blindly.

This blog is written under guidance of Pravin Shah, chairperson of the Jaina Education Committee. For over 35 years, Pravin Shah has researched Jain literature and scriptures in pursuit of finding informed answers to the questions and come to conclusion based on sound reasoning. In addition to his in-depth knowledge of Jainism, he also has a deep understanding of life as a Jain in the United States.

This blog is written by the committee members, who are from various backgrounds and from various geographic locations within the USA and Canada.

To begin, the committee documented the guiding principles, which includes the fundamental concepts that are very important to understand and to level-set the basics of Jainism. As of July 2020, the committee has published 20 articles related to Ahimsa, Rituals, Yoga and Meditation, Spirituality during COVID-19 pandemic, and Climate Crisis.

The questions are addressed by keeping the aim of religion and spiritual growth in the forefront. All the responses are based on the core Jain values and principles. We are also drawing attention to the mindset, traditions and rituals that are not compliant with any Jain values and principles. The responses aid in bringing clarity, so that the individuals can use their own logic and wisdom to derive an answer for themselves.

These articles have provided thought-provoking insights to thousands of people acrossthe globe, from countries including USA, India, United Kingdom, UAE, Canada, Japan, Australia, Germany, Spain, Singapore, France, Kenya, Italy, Switzerland, South Korea, and Indonesia.

There are numerous comments on each article, and it has provided a platform for people to share their views and have further dialogue on these challenging topics. People are conscious, logical, want to do the right thing and use their own wisdom, instead of following anything blindly.

Blog is reinvigorating the spiritual teachings of Jainism, where we find meaning, feel connected, thrive, and live life in the best possible way. This initiative has also created a great learning opportunity for all the committee members.

The Committee will continue to address questions on the following topics that have been raised by Jain youth, professionals, pathshala students and teachers:

• Climate Crisis
• Gender Equality
• Rituals
• Social Issues
• Cleanliness
• Penance
• Profession/Business
• Philosophy, etc.