Invitation to World Religions

xii Contents

BUDDHISM AS A WAY OF LIFE 189 Who Is a Buddhist? 189

Monks, Nuns, and Monastic Life 189 The Buddha’s Teachings on Ethics 190 GLOBAL SNAPSHOT: The Emergence of Western Buddhism 191 Meditation 192 Chanting 193 Sacred Spaces and Objects 194 Holidays and Festivals 195 Buddhism, Concord, and Conflict 196 Buddhism, Gender, and Inclusion 197 Buddhism and the Environment 198

Funerary Rites 199 CONCLUSION 200 BUDDHISM IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY 201

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Jainism 207 THE TEACHINGS OF JAINISM 210

Mahavira, the Twenty-Fourth and Last Tirthankara of This World Cycle 210 An Eternal Succession of Tirthankaras 212 Jainism and Hinduism 212 Ahimsa and Asceticism: Jainism’s Ideals 213

Theory of the Universe 214 Liberation and Salvation 217 THE HISTORY OF JAINISM 219

The Indian Historical Context 220 The Legacy of the Tirthankaras: Jainism Through the Centuries 220 Recent Developments in the Jain Tradition 221 GLOBAL SNAPSHOT: Jains Beyond India 222 Digambaras and Shvetambaras 223 VOICES: An Interview with Girish Shah 224 The Ascetic Life 226 Gender Roles in Jainism 229 The Religious Life of the Jain Laity 229 Jainism and the Natural World 231 JAINISM IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY 232 CONCLUSION 233 PROPERTY OF OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS JAINISM AS A WAY OF LIFE 223