Jeffery D. Long, PhD | Jain Teachings & Practices of Compassion

Engaged Jain Studies Podcast

In this episode of the Engaged Jain Studies Podcast, Christopher Jain Miller, PhD, speaks with senior scholar Professor Jeffery Long from Elizabethtown College. Join us as Professor Long shares his personal journey into Jain Studies and Compassion Studies, tracing his early encounters with South Asian dharma traditions and his eventual deep engagement with Jain philosophy.

Together, they explore how the Jain worldview naturally leads to a life of compassion, how the philosophical principle of anekāntavāda (the doctrine of multiple perspectives) fosters understanding across different worldviews, and how non-possession (aparigraha) can be a profound practice of compassion in daily life.

Professor Long also highlights the impactful social work of Acharya Chandanaji’s Veerayatan movement and Acharya Tulsi’s Anuvrat movement, offering insights into how these initiatives exemplify engaged Jainism in action.

The episode closes with Professor Long’s reflections on how we can cultivate more compassion in our own lives and apply Jain principles in our everyday interactions.

Episode Highlights

• Professor Jeffery Long’s journey into Jain Studies: From youth experiences to South Asian dharma traditions
• Anekāntavāda: Developing compassion for differing worldviews through multiple perspectives
• Aparigraha (non-possession) as an active practice of compassion
• Inspiration from Jain social movements: Acharya Chandanaji’s Veerayatan and Acharya Tulsi’s Anuvrat movement
• The Jain worldview: Its logical foundation for a life of compassion and practical insights on integrating compassion into our daily lives.

Course Announcement

📖 This EJS podcast episode offers a preview of Dr. Long’s course for the 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝟸𝟶𝟷𝟺 | 𝘑𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 & 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 where participants will delve deeper into applying Jain teachings to modern challenges.

The 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 is supported by a grant from the Uberoi Foundation.

🎧 Don’t forget to subscribe to the Engaged Jain Studies Podcast for more insightful discussions on Jain philosophy, ethics, and engaged spirituality!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & LINKS

• Compassion Studies Initiative @Arihanta Institute
• Course 2014 | Jain Teachings & Practices of Compassion
• Arihanta Institute | Ancient Wisdom for Modern Living

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ABOUT OUR PODCAST GUEST

Dr. Jeffery D. Long is the Carl W. Zeigler Professor of Religion, Philosophy, and Asian Studies at Elizabethtown College, in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, where he has taught since receiving his PhD from the University of Chicago Divinity School in the year 2000. He is the author, editor, or co-editor of twelve books, including Hinduism in America: A Convergence of Worlds, which won the Rajinder and Jyoti Gandhi Award for Excellence in Theology, Philosophy, and Critical Reflection from the Dharma Academy of North America in 2022. His latest book is Discovering Indian Philosophy: An Introduction to Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist Thought. His work focuses primarily on the religions and philosophies of India, mainly the Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist traditions, and on such themes as nonviolence, pluralism and its metaphysical foundations, the pedagogy of teaching Indic traditions in a Western context, religion and popular culture, and the concept of rebirth. In 2021, he received an award from the International Ahimsa Foundation for his efforts to promote nonviolence through scholarship. In the same year, he received the Ranck Award for Research Excellence from Elizabethtown College. He has spoken three times at the United Nations and appears in documentaries for PBS and the History Channel.

ABOUT OUR PODCAST HOST

Christopher Jain Miller is the co-founder, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Professor of Jain and Yoga Studies at Arihanta Institute. He completed his PhD in the study of Religion at the University of California, Davis and is also a Visiting Researcher at the University of Zürich's Asien-Orient-Institut and Visiting Professor at Claremont School of Theology where he co-developed and co-runs a remotely available Masters Degree Program focusing on Engaged Jain Studies. His current research focuses on Engaged Jainism and Modern Yoga, and he is the author of a number of articles and book chapters concerned with Jainism and the practice of modern yoga. Christopher is the author of Embodying Transnational Yoga: Eating, Singing, and Breathing in Transformation (Routledge 2024), as well as co-editor of the volumes Engaged Jainism: Critical and Constructive Approaches to the Study of Jain Social Engagement (SUNY 2025) and Beacons of Dharma: Spiritual Exemplars for the Modern Age (Lexington 2020).

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