11 - Studies of Religion - Ancient Religions: Articles from databases (Newington subscriptions)

Prothero, S. R. Encyclopedia of American Religious History, Third Edition, Facts On File, 2009. World Religions.

Alles, G. D. & Ellwood, R.S. The Encyclopedia of World Religions, Revised Edition, Facts On File, 2006. World Religions.

Jones, C.A. & Ryan, J.D. Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Facts On File, 2007. World Religions.

By: Flügel, Peter. Numen: International Review for the History of Religions. 2010, Vol. 57 Issue 3/4, p389-504

Abstract:
This article gives an overview of recent findings on the thriving cult of bone relic stūpas in contemporary Jaina culture. Although Jaina doctrine rejects the worship of material objects, fieldwork in India on the hitherto unstudied current Jaina mortuary rituals furnished clear evidence for the ubiquity of bone relic stūpas and relic veneration across the Jaina sectarian spectrum. The article discusses a representative case and assesses the significance of the overall findings for the history of religions. It also offers a new theoretical explanation of the power of relics.

In his welcome new treatment of the Jain religion, Long makes an ancient tradition fully intelligible to the modern reader. Plunging back more than two and a half millennia, to the plains of northern India and the life of a prince who - much like the Buddha - gave up a life of luxury to pursue enlightenment, Long traces the history of the Jain community from founding sage Mahavira to the present day. He explores asceticism, worship, the life of the Jain layperson, relations between Jainism and other Indic traditions, the Jain philosophy of relativity, and the implications of Jain ideals for the contemporary world.