This thesis examines Jaina strategies for justifying violence (himsa) in societal self-defense in contradistinction to the religion's overwhelming emphasis on nonviolence (ahimsa). The thesis' main focus is an ethnographic study of the views on societal self-defense of some contemporary lay Jainas in Delhi and Jaipur, India. I compare these views with the textual-historical Jaina position on ksatriya-dharma (the duty of kings) and "Just War," as advanced through ancient and medieval Jaina texts. Recent ethnographies omit the issue of Jaina attitudes to self-defense almost entirely. However, since India's nuclear tests in 1998, India has become a major Asian political, social and economic power. Indian Jainas have changed along with other Indians in the way that they see themselves in relation to the world and to other Indians. My findings suggest that major changes might have occurred since the latest ethnographic studies of Jainism in the nineties.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.100249 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Pokinko, Tomasz. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Faculty of Religious Studies.) |
| Rights | © Tomasz Pokinko, 2007 |
| Relation | alephsysno: 002769462, proquestno: AAIMR51398, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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