Nicolas Pol - Response to Outside Reading 5

 Jainism was a religion that we discussed in class, although the discussion was relatively short. In this blog post, I try to expand upon Jainism, and its relevance to American culture. 

To begin, Jainism is derived from the Sanskrit "Jaina," which means Victor. Perhaps Jainism is about being victorious over being detached from the world, as the main tenet of Jainism is about removing attachments, physically, from worldly objects and possessions. 

According to an article from The Los Angeles Times, “Jainism is a very old tradition with a very rich history of nonviolence, ecology, environment, respect for women, business ethics…. I could go on,” said Sulekh Jain, a retired engineer and leader in the American Jain community."

It seems as though Jainism aligns with various topics that are popular with the American youth. That said, one of the principles of Jainism that was discussed in class was that food consumed by the Jain people must be prepared by someone else, and that these "other" people cannot be aware of the fact that this food is going to be consumed by a Jain person.  

That said, Jainism is actually growing in popularity in the U.S., specifically in college campuses. Technically it would make sense, as the food prepared at dining halls technically fits into the Jainist expectation. 

Jainism is also growing in popularity through academics, as Jainism breaks away from the popular religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Jainsim offers a unique perspective on religion as a whole, and offers a much more rewarding take on asceticism.