This book presents a substantive yet accessible introduction to the modern thought of Jainism. It examines the life and thought of some of the most influential 19th and 20th-century Jain ascetic leaders that remain little known in the Western world. The book's first part provides a detailed philosophical overview of Jain thought based on the translation of a seminal Hindi text Jain Darshan. The second part introduces eight Jain saints from the major Jain sects, including their biographies, philosophical perspectives, and related contemporary movements flourishing in various places across India and beyond. The author also shares his ethnographic experiences in several chapters. Furthermore the book provides a detailed glossary of terms in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Hindi, Gujarati, and Rajasthani and their English meanings. An indispensable book that offers innovative insights into several crucial Jain movements and how they helped shape modern Indian society and beyond. The book includes historical, philological, and anthropological accounts of modern Jainism.

Autorentext

Professor Pankaj Jain is an internationally recognized academic leader in Sustainability, Jain Studies, Film Studies, and Diaspora Studies. He is the Head, Humanities & Languages and the Chair, The India Centre at FLAME University. He holds a PhD from the University of Iowa and an MA from Columbia University (both in Religious Studies). He has over twenty-five years of work experience in academia and industry. He has published award-winning Dharma and Ecology of Hindu Communities: Sustenance and Sustainability and Science and Socio-Religious Revolution in India: Moving the Mountains. His articles have appeared in several academic journals and on the Huffington Post, Washington Post, Economic Times, Times of India, Speaking Tree, and Patheos. In addition, Pankaj Jain is widely quoted in various American and Indian media outlets, including NBC, CBS, and BBC.