Jain faith and practice has flourished for more than 2800 years in the midst of a host of different faiths. Haribhadra Virahanka (6th century C.E.) provided a template for what in modern times is called interfaith understanding: acknowledge differences and find commonalities. In his text known as the Yogabindu, he identified karma, yoga, worship (puja), and mantra as practices common to all India's faiths. He also noted and explained religious differences, particularly in regard to notions of soul and self. In this presentation, Dr. Christopher Chapple, Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology and founding Director of the Master of Arts in Yoga Studies at Loyola Marymount University, will explore how his method might inform the contemporary academic discipline of Religious Studies.
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