Sushil Kumar (Jain monk)

Sushil Kumar
The dedicatory inscription under the Parshvanatha image at Siddhachalam
Religion	Jainism
Personal
Born	15 June 1926
Died	22 April 1994 (aged 67)

Sushil Kumar (15 June 1926 – 22 April 1994) was a Jain teacher and educator, founder of the International Mahavir Jain Mission and later an Acharya.^[1] His primary ashram is Siddhachalam, located in Blairstown, New Jersey, and was established in 1983. He was among the founding fathers of American Jainism.^[2][3]

He was born in Shikhopur, India and, at the age of seven, went to live with Shri Chotelalji Maharaj (who became his guru).

Although he was ordained in the Sthanakvasi tradition, he regarded himself to be non-sectarian.

Early life

Kumar was born into the Brahmin caste,^[4] and entered monastic life aged seven. Initiated into the priesthood at 15, he studied classical Indian an yogic philosophies.

Mission work

In 1975 Kumar began an evangelical international tour. This caused some controversy in the Jain community, as it involved air travel, flouting the law that Jain monks could only travel on foot.^[5][6] However, it enabled Kumar to disseminate his message on an international scale and led to his founding of the International Mahavir Jain Mission and the World Fellowship of Religions.^[7] It also enabled him to found an ashram in New Jersey, the first tirtha (site of pilgrimage) outside India.^[8]

Kumar was known as a negotiator, having encouraged Tara Singh Malhotra to enter into dialogue with the Indian Government, helped Rajiv Gandhi negotiate with Punjabi separatists in 1986, and promoted dialogue between Muslim and Hindu factions during the Ayodhya dispute.^[9]

References

1. Harold G. Coward; Gordon S. Smith (1 January 2004). Religion and Peacebuilding. SUNY Press. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-7914-8585-9.
2. A Jainist Monk Brings Ascetic Ways Here, KENNETH A. BRIGGS, New York Times, August 28, 1975
3. Jainism: A Pictorial Guide to the Religion of Non-Violence, Kurt Titze, Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1998, p. 241
4. Titze, K. & Bruhn, K. (1998). Jainism: A Pictorial Guide to the Religion of Non-Violence. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. p. 241. ISBN 9788120815346.
5. Jeffery D. Long. "JAINISM". Retrieved 1 February 2013.
6. Queen, E.L. and Prothero, S.R. and Shattuck, G.H. (2009). Encyclopedia of American Religious History. ISBN 9780816066605.
7. Pravin K. Shah. "Acharya Sushil Kumarji Maharaj (Guruji)". Retrieved 3 April 2012.
8. Ryan, James; Jones, Constance (2007). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Infobase Publishing. pp. 250–251. ISBN 9780816075645.
9. "The World Honors You, Acharya Sushil Kumar Ji". Hinduism Today. Retrieved 3 April 2012.