London ►Jain Samanijis and Buddhist Monks in Whitehall

On 13th June 2011, Samani Prasanna Pragya and Samani Vikas Pragya were invited with Dr. Atul Shah of Diverse Ethics to Admiralty House in Whitehall, London (very close to the Houses of Parliament) to meet with The Rt Hon Baroness Warsi, UK Minister without Portfolio & Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party and The Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP, UK Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. They had organised a special reception in Honour of Britain’s Buddhist community, and there were many Buddhist monks present with a strong presence of the London Buddhist Vihara, a Sri-Lankan origin Buddhist society.

At the event, everyone was delighted to meet the Samanijis and hear about their activities in the UK. In these days when there are many forms of fundamentalism and extremist tendencies threatening to divide communities, it is useful to hear the Jain voice of cohesion and unity. This is a voice and perspective heard less frequently than many others within Britain today. It is important that Jain philosophy of ahimsa (non-violence), aparigraha(non-materialism), dharma(sustainability) and anekant (open-mindedness) is acknowledged and understood in the corridors of power. This event was therefore a truly symbolic achievement for the Jains.