"Throughout his long academic career, P.S. Jaini has focused his research on the religious, philosophical and literary achievements of the Buddhists and the Jains. His papers on Jaina Studies, scattered in many learned publications, are brought together here for the first time. They cover a wide range of topics including the Jaina view of the nature of reality, the doctrine of karma, the problem of rebirth, the idea of omniscience, the aptitude for salvation, and the assimilation of Hindu myths and rituals."--Publisher description.

Interest for Jain studies has increased considerably in the last decades. Scholars will be thankful to the organizers of the 12th World Sanskrit Conference who, for the first time in such a conference, planned a special panel on this field. The ten papers collected in this volume show the importance, abundance and variety of topics that can be considered. Philological analysis still proves useful, whether it concentrates on one particular work or on clusters of texts. A study of the strategy of narrative and predication needs a historical approach, kavya literature lends itself to renewed and indepth interpretations. Finally the reader will observe the constant renewal of Jainism, as some new literary genre or a new sect are seen to have gained momentum in modern times.

The last ten years have seen interest in Jainism increasing, with this previously little-known Indian religion assuming a significant place in religious studies. Studies in Jaina History and Culture breaks new ground by investigating the doctrinal differences and debates amongst the Jains rather than presenting Jainism as a seamless whole whose doctrinal core has remained virtually unchanged throughout its long history. The focus of the book is the discourse concerning orthodoxy and heresy in the Jaina tradition, the question of omniscience and Jaina logic, role models for women and female identity, Jaina schools and sects, religious property, law and ethics. The internal diversity of the Jaina tradition and Jain techniques of living with diversity are explored from an interdisciplinary point of view by fifteen leading scholars in Jaina studies. The contributors focus on the principal social units of the tradition: the schools, movements, sects and orders, rather than Jain religious culture in abstract. Peter Flügel provides a representative snapshot of the current state of Jaina studies that will interest students and academics involved in the study of religion or South Asian cultures.

The print edition is available as a set of two volumes (9789004093560).

The last ten years have seen interest in Jainism increasing, with this previously little-known Indian religion assuming a significant place in religious studies. Studies in Jaina History and Culture breaks new ground by investigating the doctrinal differences and debates amongst the Jains rather than presenting Jainism as a seamless whole whose doctrinal core has remained virtually unchanged throughout its long history. The focus of the book is the discourse concerning orthodoxy and heresy in the Jaina tradition, the question of omniscience and Jaina logic, role models for women and female identity, Jaina schools and sects, religious property, law and ethics. The internal diversity of the Jaina tradition and Jain techniques of living with diversity are explored from an interdisciplinary point of view by fifteen leading scholars in Jaina studies. The contributors focus on the principal social units of the tradition: the schools, movements, sects and orders, rather than Jain religious culture in abstract. Peter Flügel provides a representative snapshot of the current state of Jaina studies that will interest students and academics involved in the study of religion or South Asian cultures.

Interest in Indian religion and comparative philosophy has increased in recent years, but despite this the study of Jaina philosophy is still in its infancy. This book looks at the role of philosophy in Jaina tradition, and its significance within the general developments in Indian philosophy. Bringing together chapters by philologists, historians and philosophers, the book focuses on karman theory, the theory of conditional predication, epistemology and the debates of Jaina philosophers with representatives of competing traditions, such as Ājīvika, Buddhist and Hindu. It analyses the relationship between religion and philosophy in Jaina scriptures, both Digambara and Śvetāmbara, and will be of interest to scholars and students of South Asian Religion, Philosophy, and Philology.

Nathmal Tatia, one of the leading Jaina scholars of our time, provides us with the first systematic and in-depth study of the great problems dealt with in Jaina philosophy. It begins with the basic Jaina worldview of non-absolutism (anekanta-vada), and deals next with Jaina epistemology.Three major topics are then studied in great detail, with full reference to the Jaina scriptures. These are: the problem of avidya in the various Indian schools; the Jaina doctrine of karman; and Jaina yoga. This latter includes an important study of Haribhadra's comparative studies in yoga. Tatia hashere given us a first-rate advanced level study of Jaina philosophy.

In 1962, Professor Dr Ludwig Alsdorf gave two lectures in Paris, on the current state of Jain studies and future tasks. Those lectures are as relevant as ever and ought to be read by anyone who wants to work in the field of Prakrit .The lectures were translated into English by Bal Patil, at the request of Professor Dr A N Upadhye and have been revised and edited by Professor Dr Willem Bollée, son in law of Professor Alsdorf. They have been presented in the form of the present book.The book deals with a brief history of Jaina Studies in the West; a history of the Jaina religion itself, a scholarly comparison with Buddhism, pointing out the strong Jaina influence on Buddhism giving examples of words like asava , tai . Alsdorf points out that even for a purely linguistic understanding of Buddhist texts, a study of Jaina scriptures is essential.However, he contends that Jaina philology should not be considered for this purpose only. He mentions the antiquity of the Jaina religion, the importance and impact of its literature, right from the earliest works in middle Indo-Aryan to the modern ones.He saw the continuing Jain literary tradition as representing an uninterrupted tradition on the soil of the motherland . He remarks upon the extensive and varied Jaina usage, sustenance and support of Prakrit and Apabhramsha. He also remarks on the huge impact of Jains on Dravidian literature, especially old Tamil and Kannada literature.He critically examines the language used in the oldest of Jain scriptures, and surveys the opinions of various scholars. Taking the Ashokan inscriptions as a benchmark, he supports the views of Weber and Jacobi, citing copious examples, on the essentially transposition impact of Jaina Maharashtri on what is seen as the canonical Ardha-Magadhi today. He claims that, in reality the name of Ardha-Magadhi, semi-Magadhi, was undoubtedly right for the language of the early Jain canon, but it does not hold true of the canon which we have now .He presents a lucid case for a systematic linguistic study of the canonical texts with the aim of finding Magadhisms and other proofs of translation .He also points out that over the centuries; the copyists had a role to play in normalising the Prakrit and thus helping obfuscate the original Ardha-Magadhi from the Svetambara canon.Professor Alsdorf's observations made in the 1960's hold true even today. He commented that the Jaina canon had always to rely on the labour of an all too small number of western scholars .There are indeed no more than fifty scholars in the West who are doing excellent work in the field of Jaina studies. However, there are rays of hope: The Centre for Jaina Studies at the SOAS in London is the first ever department of Jaina studies at a Western university.The Institute of Jainology, UK is an organisation of Diaspora Jains who are doing commendable work promoting the study of Jainism in the West. This remarkable book carries the observations and conclusions drawn by one of the leading lights in the field of Jaina studies in the 20th century, Ludwig Alsdorf. The book is obligatory reading for any scholar of Jaina studies.We are truly proud of having published this book. It is the first volume of the Pandit Nathuram Premi Research Series.

Jaina Studies is a relatively new and rapidly expanding field of inquiry for scholars of Indian religion and philosophy. In Jainism, "yoga" carries many meanings, and this book explores the definitions, nuances, and applications of the term in relation to Jainism from early times to the present. Yoga in Jainism begins by discussing how the use of the term yoga in the earliest Jaina texts described the mechanics of mundane action or karma. From the time of the later Upanisads, the word Yoga became associated in all Indian religions with spiritual practices of ethical restraint, prayer, and meditation. In the medieval period, Jaina authors such as Haribhadra, Subhacandra, and Hemacandra used the term Yoga in reference to Jaina spiritual practice. In the modern period, a Jaina form of Yoga emerged, known as Preksa Dhyana. This practice includes the physical postures and breathing exercises well known through the globalization of Yoga. By exploring how Yoga is understood and practiced within Jainism, this book makes an important contribution to the fields of Yoga Studies, Religious Studies, Philosophy, and South Asian Studies.