a stretch of clothing and jewelry shops, groceries and restaurants in Artesia.
In the last decade, donors have funded endowed positions in Jain studies at a dozen universities, including UC Davis, Irvine, Riverside and Santa Barbara, the Cal State campuses of Northridge and Long Beach, and Loyola Marymount University. They have also sponsored lectureships and post-doctoral fellowships at other universities. They estimate they have reached hundreds of students directly but that the ripple effects will extend to thousands.
In 2010 Jain donors established the first endowed professorship of Jain studies at Florida International University. In the years following they cultivated partnerships with more universities, particularly in Southern California.Jainism is an ancient Indian religion with a relatively small following but its principles, including that of non-violence, have had significant influence on society beyond its followers.
“The impact will be greater to non-Indian students,” said Nitin Shah, an anesthesiologist who has facilitated some of the relationships between donors and universities. They also broaden the scope of what gets taught. Religious studies departments tend to focus on the “big five” religions of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, Wilcox said.
The Jain community is also active outside the religion. In Southern California amid the pandemic, members have distributed thousands of free vegetarian meals, donated tablets and administered COVID-19 vaccines. This week, as the coronavirus crisis surges, they are mobilizing to procure and send nearly 6,000 oxygen concentrators there in coming days.
A former landlord of mine was a Jain. He was one of the kindest, most caring individuals I have ever met in my life. And this came from the force of his belief that all life – all life – is sacred. I think all people have much to learn from the Jains
horrible
'move away from Euro-centric perspectives... strive to “decolonize”...he and his wife pledged $1 million'
Why was Trump banned?