United States | CHICAGO, IL (TIP): The Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago (JSMC), Bartlett Illinois, celebrated a milestone – the 25th Anniversary of its temple, with
As rapper Future mumbled over the speakers, I exhaled and crouched down for a very shaky approximation of a warrior pose. This was my first trap yoga class, and I was determined not to look like the novice I was.
Studio 262 is a recent addition to South Los Angeles. Blocks away from the University of Southern California, the new space is becoming a hub for students as well as locals. Among their many class offerings, the one that caught my eye was trap yoga.
Trap yoga involves doing vinyasa flows to the beat of trap music, a bass-filled, gritty... Read more about #NamaSlay, Or How Black Women Are Using Trap Yoga as a Mode of Spiritual Resistance | Religion Dispatches
THE JAIN FESTIVAL PARYUSHAN PARVA LASTS 8-10 DAYS.
Aside from Diwali, one of the most important celebrations in the Jain religion is Paryushan Parva. In fact, the celebration is so vital that Jainism is tantamount and otherwise termed as Paryushan because the festival embodies the core principles and objectives of the religion. There are minor differences in observances among the various Jain communities and sects around the world but all focuses on spiritual upliftment, self purification, deeper understanding of religion and the pursuit of salvation.
Inscriptions tell the story of how a temple for the 24th Jain Thirthankara, Sri Vardhamana Mahaveera, was constructed 850 years ago.
Located in the Karimnagar district in the Indian state of Telangana was an ancient three-faced stone. The stone remained hidden in the village without anyone recognizing its historic value. Until recently, when an elder in the village named Chepyala Madhusudhan Rao brought it to the attention of Dr. Dyaavanapalli Satyanarayana, a historian. Dr. Satyanarayana deciphered the inscriptions on the stone, and found it related to the history of Telangana...
On June 9, a law allowing patients with terminal illnesses to end their lives with help from a physician came into effect in California, opening conversations about whether human life should be prolonged against the desire to die peacefully and with dignity.
A similar yet different conversation has been taking place in India for the past several years, but in reverse.
In one of India’s religious traditions, Jainism, those at the end of life can choose to embrace a final fast transition from one body to another. However, a recent court case has challenged the constitutionality of...
Mr. Pravin K. Shah is an author and educator who is active member of the Jain community in the United States. He is currently the chairperson of the JAINA...
Dr. Yudit K. Greenberg and Dr. Arnold Wettstein became Pluralism Project affiliates in 1998 and engaged students in the study of the religious landscape...
Dr. Pankaj Jain is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at the University of North Texas. He is co-director of the Rural Sustainability...
Dr. Corrie Norman is the associate director of the religious studies program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was formerly an assistant professor of religion at Converse College in North Carolina. During her time at Converse, Dr. Norman became an affiliate of the Pluralism Project and engaged her students in "Gender, Food, and Meaning: Mapping Religious Diversity in Charlotte, NC," a two-part study of religious diversity in the city of Charlotte and of ritual and festival life of new immigrant religious communities.
Dr. Stuart Chandler has been researching Western Pennsylvania's evolving religious pluralism as a Pluralism Project Affiliate since 2001. He has established a... Read more about Stuart Chandler
chandler@iup.edu
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, PA