Sushil Kumar, who passed away on 22 April 1994, in New Delhi, aged 67, was a Jain teacher, monk and an Acharya. He was a self-realized master who devoted more than 50 years in promoting non-violence, peace and knowledge of the self.
Kumar, known as 'Guruji' by his devotees, was born on 15 June 1926, in Sikhopur, a small foothill village in Haryana, India. The village was later named Sushilgarh in Kumar's honour. As a seven-year-old he left his home to live with Shri Chotelalji Maharaj, who later become his religious guru.
When Kumar was a young boy, Roop Chandji Maharaj, a great yogi and
Jain master, appeared to him in his spirit and told him to become a monk. His
knowledge was realised through direct experience, and his powers were awakened
through the grace of past lives. When he was 15-years-old he became a Jain Muni
(monk) in Swetamber Sthanakwasi sect.
During his academic career in India, he passed through a number of examinations such as Shastri, Acharya, Sahitya-Ratna, Vidya-Ratna, etc., and mastered the classical studies of Indian religious and yogic philosophies.
His primary ashram in North America, Siddhachalam, located in Blairstown, New Jersey, was established in 1983. He was one among the founding fathers of American Jainism.
Although he was ordained as a monk in the Sthānakavāsī Jain tradition, he regarded himself to be
non-sectarian. In 1979, he formed Arhat Sangh, a syncretic, non-sectarian group
within Jainism.
