Acharya Tulsi
| Tulsi | |
|---|---|
Acharya Tulsi
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| Religion | Jainism |
| Sect | Svetambara |
| Personal | |
| Born | 20 October 1914 |
| Died | 23 June 1997 (aged 82) |
Acharya Tulsi (October 20, 1914 – June 23, 1997) was a prominent Jain religious leader. He was the founder of the Anuvrata movement and the Jain Vishva Bharti Institute, Ladnun and the author of over one hundred books.
Acharya Mahapragya and Sadhvi Kanakprabha were his disciples.
Acharya Tulsi was born on 20th of October 1914 in Ladnun, in present Nagaur district of Rajasthan, to Vadana and Jhumarmal Khater. Acharya Kalugani, then the leader of the Svetambar Terapanth Sangh, greatly influenced Tulsi. Tulsi was initiated into monkhood at age 11. In 1936, Kalugani nominated Tulsi to be his successor in Gangapur at Rang Bhawan-the house of Ranglal Hiran, making him the ninth Acharya of the Terapanth Sangha. During his leadership of the Sangha, he initiated more than 776 monks and nuns.
In the 1970s, Tulsi began researching, compiling translations and commentaries on the Jain Agamas. Tulsi, along with Yuvacharya Mahapragya, sought to rediscover Jain meditation and termed it Preksha Dhyan.
In 1949 he launched the Anuvrat Movement (anu = small, vrat=vow, Anuvratas are the limited version of the Mahavratas for the monks), based on the five Jain principles Truth, Nonviolence, Non possession, Non-stealing and Celibacy as applied in their limited version for the lay people. The movement encouraged people to apply the Anuvratas in their personal lives, even when dealing with non-religious aspects of the society. The movement also held that Dharma is not for ensuring happiness in the future lives but also for achieving happiness in the present life.
The movement has continued under the leadership of his disciple Yuvacharya Mahapragya. He was raised to the rank of the Acharya by Acharya Tulsi himself.
In 1948 Tulsi established the Parmarthik Shikshan Sanstha, a spiritual training centre for females aspirants who wanted to lead the Jain monastic lifestyle. Jain Vishva Bharati Institute, an education and research institute was established in 1991 with inspiration from Acharya Tulsi.
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