The Jain tradition is rightly famous for its teachings and practices of ahiṃsā, or nonviolence in thought, word, and action. Less well-known or well-understood is the Jain emphasis on karuṇā or dāyā—compassion. Even admirers of the Jain emphasis on nonviolence might ask whether the Jain ideal is merely one of avoiding harm or if there is a place for doing positive good for the welfare of other beings in this tradition. Given the strong emphasis in this tradition of not harming animals and practicing a vegetarian or vegan diet, some might also ask whether the practice of compassion specifically toward human beings is also important to Jains. The answer to both these questions is an emphatic yes. There is indeed a strong Jain emphasis on living compassionately, and specifically on treating our fellow humans with kindness. This course will explore Jain teachings and practices of compassion–including, but not limited to, compassion directed toward our fellow human beings.

All suggested course readings are provided as links and pdfs throughout the course.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the foundations of compassionate living according to Jain teachings.
• Learn how the Jain tradition provides rich philosophical resources that encourage us to live compassionately.
• Learn how teachings and practices of compassion are lived out in the Jain community.

Course Details

Learning Area

Social Justice

Instructor

Jeffery Long, PhD

He has also spoken on ahiṃsā at the United Nations. Jeffrey is the author of several books, including 𝘏𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 and 𝘑𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮: 𝘈𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, and co-editor with Christopher Miller and Michael Reading for 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘢, and with Michael Long for 𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥’𝘴 𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.