An Introduction to Jainism (Paperback)

~ Bharat S. Shah (Author) "It is auspicious and fitting, that I am beginning to write this Introduction to Jainism on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday..." (more)
Key Phrases: Lord Mahavira, Kevala Gnyana, Sthuli Bhadra (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Second U.S. edition of a highly acclaimed, simple introduction to Jainism, an ancient (more than 2600 years old) but currently relevant religion from India. Written in a clear and friendly style, full of explanations, and a gradual, stepwise presentation of its fundamental principles. For personal or classroom study. Equally interesting for non-Jains of either Indian, non-Indian, or Western origin, and for students and scholars of non-violence, vegetarianism, and ecology. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Bharat S. Shah is a medical doctor practicing in New York. He has been interested and actively involved in building bridges across cultures, religions, and languages. He has published several books for classroom teaching or for self-study of Asian Indian languages e.g., Gujarati, Sanskrit, English, and the Devanagari script (used for Hindi, Marathi, and Sanskrit languages). He has also published a simple, introductory text on Jainism, an ancient religion emphasizing extreme non-violence, respect for the environment, and social equality. Dr. Shah has been widely published in medical and lay media, and he has given several lectures, interviews, and crash courses on various alphabets. He has authored an autobiographical docu-novel based on his wife's liver transplant. He has been a secreatry and then the president of the Gujarati Literary Academy of North America. He enjoys presenting an extremely complex subject matter in a simple and humorous manner. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Setubandh Publications (October 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962367419
• ISBN-13: 978-0962367410
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,742,453 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is really worth your while, May 11, 2000

By A Customer

This book is very unique in the world of books on Jainism. My experience has been that most books presume you already have a great deal of understanding of Jainism before you start reading them or that you are very religious. While this book is most likely informative for those readers , I do not fall under those categories. This book taught me what Jainism is about without telling me what rituals I must follow and without preaching to me about my shortcomings as a Jain. it is very simply written and really teaches the reader about all aspects of the religion, including interesting stories about its development. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about Jainism.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and interesting, July 20, 2005

By	Melissa - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Introduction to Jainism (Paperback)

Having been reluctant to learn about Jainism my entire life, this book showed me that a book does not have to be boring just because it's about religion. I really like the author's writing style and his simple approach to explaining what I always thought were complicated tenets. I highly recommend this book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Introduction to Jainism by Dr. Bharat S. Shah, July 15, 2007

By	Urmish R. Mehta (Columbus, OH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: An Introduction to Jainism (Paperback)

This is an excellent and practical introduction to Jainism especially for young Jains born in the countries other than India. Dr. Shah has emphasized the practice part of Jainism rather than theories. He has covered all the major practices practiced by lay Jains today in India in their daily life. He has kept the discussion at the level that is logically acceptable by a lay person or the one who has no roots in Jainism.