John Cort explores the narratives by which the Jains have explained the presence of icons of Jinas (their enlightened and liberated teachers) that are worshiped and venerated in the hundreds of thousands of Jain temples throughout India. Most of these narratives portray icons favorably, and so justify their existence; but there are also narratives originating among iconoclastic Jain communities that see the existence of temple icons as a sign of decay and corruption. The veneration of Jina icons...
The stories in this collection span almost one thousand years of story-telling in India., Most originate in North India and all were written by Jain Monks for the edification and amusement of the faithful. Jain literature is both rich and varied. Stories were told in verse and prose, in Sanskrit and in vernacular languages. Some resemble simple folk tales while others are as sophisticated as courtly romances. The stories in Jain literature are about holy men and holy places, famous kings and cou...
A major new history of the century-long debate over what a Jewish state should beMany Zionists who advocated for the creation of a Jewish state envisioned a nation like any other. Yet for Israel's founders, the nation that emerged against all odds in 1948 was anything but ordinary. Born from the ashes of genocide and a long history of suffering, Israel was conceived to be unique, a model society and the heart of a prosperous new Middle East. It is this paradox, says historian Michael Brenner-the...
The History of Vegetarianism and Cow-Veneration in India (Routledge Advances in Jaina Studies)
by Ludwig Alsdorf
For the first time, this influential study by Ludwig Alsdorf is made available to an English speaking audience, translated by Bal Patil. It focuses on two of the most pertinent issues in Indian religion, the history of vegetarianism and cow-veneration, and its historical approach remains relevant to this day. With reference to significant brahminical texts, such as key chapters of the Book of Manu, the book centres on the author’s analysis of the role of Jinism in the history of vegetarianism....
This book offers a unique look at one of the oldest religions in the world, and how it can guide us to spiritual and intellectual growth. It bridges the gap between Western religious beliefs and Eastern spiritual philosophies. Jainism is India's oldest spiritual tradition, and one of the oldest religions in the entire world. It rejects the notion of a supreme being, and advocates a deep respect for all living things, and the connections they share. "The Jain Path" looks at how perhaps one of the...
The Acharnians of Aristophanes (Johns Hopkins University Press Reprints)
While Western Jain scholarship has focused on those texts and practices favoring male participation, the Jain community itself relies heavily on lay women's participation for religious education, the performance of key rituals, and the locus of religious knowledge. In this fieldwork-based study, Whitney Kelting attempts to reconcile these women's understanding of Jainism with the religion as presented in the existing scholarship. Jain women, she shows, both accept and rewrite the idealized rol...
Kalpa Sutra of Bhadrabahu Svami (Lala S.L. Jain)
Contributed seminar papers.
The Samdesarasaka of Abdul Rahman