Jainism: An Introduction

Jainism evokes images of monks wearing face-masks to protect insects and mico-organisms from being inhaled. Or of Jains sweeping the ground in front of them to ensure that living creatures are not inadvertently crushed: a practice ofnon-violence so radical as to defy easy comprehension. Yet for all its apparent exoticism, Jainism is still little understoodin the West. What is this mysterious philosophy which originated in the 6th century BCE, whose absolute requirement is vegetarianism, and which now commands a following of four million adherents both in its native India and diaspora communities across the globe? In his welcome new treatment of the Jain religion, Long makes an ancient tradition fully intelligible to the modern reader. Plunging back more than two and a half millennia, to the plains of northern India andthe life of a prince who - much like the Buddha - gave up a life of luxury to pursue enlightenment, Long traces the historyof the Jain community from founding sage Mahavira to the present day. He explores asceticism, worship, the life of theJain layperson, relations between Jainism and other Indic traditions, the Jain philosophy of relativity, and theimplications of Jain ideals for the contemporary world. The book presents Jainism in a way that is authentic andengaging to specialists and non-specialists alike. [Språk: Engelska] Häftad

Titel: Jainism: An Introduction
Förlag: I B Tauris & Co