Padmanabh Jaini At Symposium 2013

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, focusing on the symposium celebrating Professor Padmanabh S. Jaini's 90th birthday and his contributions to Jain studies:

A Symposium Celebrating the 90th Birthday of Professor Padmanabh S. Jaini: A Pioneer in Western Jain Studies

On October 26, 2013, a significant symposium was held at UC Berkeley to honor the 90th birthday of Professor Padmanabh S. Jaini, a distinguished scholar whose work has been instrumental in establishing and advancing the study of Jainism in the Western world. The event brought together a select group of academics from Europe and the United States to share their research on various aspects of Jainism, recognizing Professor Jaini's immense contributions to the field.

Key Themes and Presentations at the Symposium:

The symposium featured a diverse range of scholarly presentations, reflecting the breadth and depth of contemporary Jain studies, much of which owes its existence to Professor Jaini's pioneering efforts. The presentations can be broadly categorized as follows:

• Ritual and Religious Practice:

  • Professor Jaini himself presented on his origins in Tulunadu, Karnataka, focusing on the Digambara Jain temple in Nellikar and its annual chariot procession. He traced the lineage of ritual officiants, demonstrating their descent from Vedic Brahmanas who converted to Jainism.
  • Peter Flügel from SOAS, University of London, also examined temple rituals and priests, specifically at the Padmavati shrine in Humcha, Karnataka, highlighting rites of prognostication and the role of temple priests.

• Socio-Historical and Doctrinal Aspects:

  • John Cort of Denison University explored the largely understudied presence of Digambara Jain communities in Gujarat, surveying their historical spread and current status.
  • Alexander von Rospatt, the symposium's convener, discussed the reasons why Jainism, unlike Buddhism, has persisted in India while Buddhism largely disappeared, probing the social factors that contributed to Jainism's resilience. He also brought Jain and Buddhist doxographical texts into conversation by contrasting their critiques of the Samkhya model of cognition.
  • Kristi Wiley, a former student of Professor Jaini, delved into the fundamental Jain concept of life forms, specifically the one-sensed nigodas, and the doctrinal questions and dilemmas arising from their postulation.

• Literary and Textual Analysis:

  • Phyllis Granoff of Yale University examined a 17th-century debate concerning the treatment of Jain images and how they visually encode the life stories of the Jina without depicting specific episodes.
  • Paul Dundas of the University of Edinburgh analyzed the contribution of Jain authors to the development of allegory in Indian literary history, focusing on the work of the renowned monk Hemacandra Maladhārin.
  • Robert Goldman, a long-time colleague of Professor Jaini at Berkeley, discussed the complex and often ambivalent ways Jain authors appropriated prominent figures from the early Sanskrit canon.

• Doctrinal History and Comparative Studies:

  • Olle Qvarnström of Lund University engaged with specific aspects of Jainism's doctrinal history, bringing Jain and Buddhist texts into dialogue.
  • One paper presented by John Cort focused on the social dimension of Jainism, rounding off the symposium's engagement with this aspect.

Recognition of Professor Jaini's Impact:

The symposium served as a fitting tribute to Professor Jaini's extraordinary career. He was honored with the Distinguished Lifetime Scholar Award by the Jains Federation of North America, recognizing his "visionary leadership, exemplary commitment, & tireless efforts in teaching Jainism to the North American community."

The text also provides extensive details about Professor Jaini's background and academic journey, highlighting:

• Early Life and Education: Born into a devout Digambara Jain family in Karnataka, he received a traditional education at a Digambara Jain gurukula and later pursued higher education, obtaining degrees in Sanskrit and Prakrit.
• Exposure to Diverse Jain Traditions: His time supervising a boarding house for Svetämbara Jain students provided him with crucial insights into the social diversity within Jainism and the existence of other sectarian groups.
• Influential Mentors: His studies with the renowned Svetämbara scholar Pandit Sukhlal Sanghavi were pivotal in his intellectual formation.
• Deep Engagement with Buddhism: Professor Jaini's postgraduate studies in Sri Lanka, focusing on Theravada Buddhism and the Abhidharma Pitaka, established his expertise in Buddhist studies, which he masterfully integrated with his Jain scholarship.
• Pioneering Western Scholarship: His move to the University of California, Berkeley, marked a significant period where he established Jain studies as a recognized field. His seminal work, "The Jaina Path of Purification" (1979), is considered a foundational text that introduced Jainism to a broader English-speaking audience. His other works, such as "Gender and Salvation: Jaina Debates on the Spiritual Liberation of Women" and "Collected Papers on Jaina Studies," have further cemented his status as a leading scholar.
• Holistic Approach: Professor Jaini's work consistently focused on "śramana-samskṛti" (the culture of the strivers), illuminating the religious, philosophical, and literary achievements of both Buddhists and Jains. He effectively used evidence from one tradition to shed light on the other, demonstrating their interconnectedness.

In conclusion, the symposium celebrated not only Professor Padmanabh S. Jaini's 90th birthday but also his profound and lasting impact on the academic study of Jainism. The diverse presentations showcased the vibrant and evolving landscape of Jain scholarship, a field significantly shaped by his lifelong dedication and pioneering vision.