Bio-sketches
Arun Zaveri was born in Bombay, India, in 1940. After completing his Inter-Science, he attended the Munich University, Munich, Germany, for higher studies in Science and Engineering. He returned to India after spending more than 5 years in Germany. He worked as an engineer in a Chemical Plant, and later established his own business in plastics and polymers, and silver refining.
Arun's elder brother, Muni Mahendra Kumarji, after finishing his undergraduate degree in Science, renounced the worldly life and became a Jain ascetic in 1957. In 1977 he invited Arun to attend a 10-day spiritual camp in Rajasthan, and introduced to him the system of Preksha Meditation under the auspices of Acharya Mahapragyaji, the leader of the Terapanth sect of Jains and the developer of PM. After just the third day at the camp, Arun quit his 15-year old smoking habit for good. The experience literally changed his life in more ways than he had expected. Impressed by his results, his father, Mr. Jethalal Zaveri, also decided to learn the technique.
Mr. Jethalal Zaveri was also an engineer and a highly successful businessman. After retiring, he devoted the rest of his life to teaching PM and researching it with the help of modern scientific and medical knowledge. He has written several books on comparing modern science with Jain Philosophy, and Preksha Meditation. In 1997, at the age of 84, he demonstrated the ultimate test of his will-power by renouncing his physical body. He embarked upon a unique Jain tradition of Santhara, which loosely translates into fast-unto-death. The fast lasted 42 days when he finally passed away in November.
In 1989 Arun had an opportunity to assist his father in teaching PM on a professional basis. In 1990 he retired from his regular business and focused his time and energy on teaching PM, and assisting his father in conducting research on the scientific aspects of PM. He also spent a significant amount of time studying the elements of Jain Philosophy, and conducted a comparative study with other philosophies and modern science.
Arun served as the director of Jain Center of
Leicester, United Kingdom, during 1993-1994. He has been a visiting faculty
at Jain Vishwa Bharati Institute, India, since 1994, and was elected as
a member of the Education Committee of Jain Academies International Federation
on January 1, 1999.
Mayuri, wife of Arun, was born in Bombay, India, in 1946. She earned a B. A. (Economics) from the University of Bombay in 1966. She too began learning PM since the early 1980s, and has been regularly practicing it since then. She assists Arun in organizing and conducting PM workshops and seminars, and also conducts independent programs for “women only” groups.