Understanding Jainism / Lawrence A. Babb.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Babb, Lawrence A., author.

Series:

Understanding faith

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jainism.

Jainism--India.

India.

Physical Description:

xv, 182 pages : illustrations (black and white) ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

Edinburgh : Dunedin, 2015.

Summary:

Jainism is Buddhism's often overlooked cousin. As the only surviving examples of ancient India's non-Vedic religious traditions, these two religions are often grouped together as 'heterodoxies,' but this is to ignore deep differences between Jain and Buddhist beliefs and practices. Unlike Buddhism, Jainism has hardly spread beyond the Indian subcontinent but Jainism survives in India where it is a prominent element in the mix of Indian religions today. As an introduction to Jainism as a religious tradition and way to life, this book pays due attention to Jainism's history and doctrinal basics. However the author emphasises the ways in which formal Jain teachings are manifested in the practices of both laity and the monastic elite; explore the distinctive Jain systems of cosmographic and biological knowledge, and it describes how Jainism is woven into the social identities of Jain communities in modern India. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Charter 1

2 In History 7

3 Liberation's Roadmap 41

4 Strivers 53

5 Supporters 74

6 A Moral Cosmos 105

7 Social Context 129.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 154-161) and index.

ISBN:

9781780460321

1780460325

OCLC:

908968270

Publisher Number:

99962890177