THE ACADEMIC STUDY OF JAINISM IN NORTH AMERICA 
A Fast-Track Approach. By Dr. Sulekh C. Jain

Current Situation

South Asian studies is making rapid advances in American universities, due to (1) the new pluralistic outlook in the country, (2) the large and growing influx of immigrants from the subcontinent who give faces to Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Islam, (3) an increasing number of faculty of Indian origin, (4) the emergence of religion as a major political player on the world stage, and (5) the felt need to think globally. Though Jainism is the oldest of Indian traditions, and presents a rich field of scholarship, it has a comparatively miniscule status in academia in North America. Approximately 1000 colleges offer courses in all disciplines (religion, philosophy, art, history, music, language) of South Asian religions. These courses are offered on the undergraduate and graduate levels, and are taught by highly trained professors, with chairs in prestigious centers of learning. By contrast, in the estimate of Jain scholar, Professor John Cort, there are only some 17 academicians, in as many colleges that are engaged in Jaina studies; and there are no indications to suggest that the present status will change for the better. Certainly the reverse is possible: in a world of rapid change you either move forward or you move backward.

This situation is ironic, because while Jain studies goes begging, the Jain community in North America prospers like no other community in the fields of business, medicine, engineering, etc. To close this disparity, it is essential that the college-educated children of Jain families have access to the intellectual sources of their culture. It should also be a mark of pride for American Jains to have their culture studied and disseminated by the brightest in the land. More than pride, conditions in the world call for the type of culture that Jainism has to offer America and the world; a culture that has been shaped by thousands of years in the study and practice of humanitarian values that flow from the Jain ideal of ahimsa.

WHY IS THIS SO?
While there are thousands of colleges and universities, there are only a handful of qualified and trained academicians and scholars to teach Jainism at these colleges in North America. Since there are not enough teachers, there are no regular course offerings and consequently no students to study Jainism. Therefore, we must make a modest start in the training of teachers in Jainalogy

THE PLAN
A group of University Professors and students will be going to India next summer (2005) for an eight-week intensive crash course in Jainism. Prof. Cromwell Crawford of University of Hawaii and a group of concerned Jains in North America who are also funding this entire program are organizing this effort. This program is fully integrated within the American university system, in which students will earn credits (up to nine credits) towards degrees; and it is integrated with academic institutions in India, aimed at helping students understand Jainism within its indigenous environments.

This is a fast-track, two-tiered program, open to students and professors in American universities. Its purpose is to impart a basic grounding/skills in the Jain religion within a cultural context where it is experienced as a lived reality. Through seminars, lectures, and library resources, students and professors will be provided with the basic intellectual tools for an understanding of the many facets of Jainism, including its history, politics, philosophy, and ethics. Through fieldwork, they will be exposed to the culture of Jainism through the media of visual and performing arts, temple worship, rituals, festivals, family ceremonies, and visits to Jain homes.

This program will be conducted each summer, beginning 2005, for a period of two months (June, July). The program is open to all full-time graduate students (enrolled in an American university) and to all full-time professors employed in an American university, regardless of religion, race, or citizenship. The most important qualification for the professor is to be intellectually, personally, and professionally committed to the promotion of Jain studies in his or her university, through recruiting students, and seeing to it that Jainism is made a part of the department’s curriculum. By the same token, our partner Jain institutions in India also stand to benefit by the interchange. They will have “an anekantavada experience” as they are introduced to new ways of thinking about Jainism, and will sense the need to adapt Jain principles to the modern world. Contacts will also be made between individuals and institutions for future collaboration.

For more information or to be a part of this program, please contact, Dr. Sulekh C. Jain @ 281 494 7656, Houston, Texas, USA