Jain Studies in Academia Making Steady Progress

Los Angeles/ Apr 26, 2025
NRIpress.club/Ramesh / A.Gary Singh / Sulekh C. Jain

Dear Friends,

I’m thrilled to share some exciting news about the continued growth of Jain academic education—particularly the establishment of two new endowed positions in Jain Studies in the United States.

On Sunday, April 6, 2025, Jain donors contributed $1.75 million (approximately ₹15 crore), officially establishing two permanent academic positions. The ceremonial signing took place at the magnificent Jain Center of Southern California in Los Angeles.
A Brief Look at Our Progress Over Two Decades

Global Growth and Reach

Jain Studies now has a presence at nearly 50 universities across 12 countries. We’ve successfully established endowed Chairs, Professorships, Lectureships, Postdoctoral Fellowships, Annual Lecture Series, and more. Currently, 34 scholars are pursuing PhDs in Jain Studies.

Recent Milestones

This April alone, we launched two new endowed positions—one at Claremont School of Theology and another at Arihanta Institute. We also added two new PhD positions at Oxford University (UK), and initiated two postdoctoral fellowships at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. Additionally, we’re in active discussions with 2–3 prestigious U.S. universities to further
expand our reach.

Ongoing Initiatives

At the University of Birmingham, UK, the Jain Studies program is growing rapidly. It now includes several faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, regular seminars and conferences, and a student body of 55. The university also houses thousands of Jain books and manuscripts, and has secured over $3.5 million in funding to support constructive interfaith
dialogue with Jainism at the center.

The International School for Jain Studies (ISJS)

ISJS continues to flourish with multi-faceted growth. Soon, it will host two professors from Japan for a scholarly exchange. Together with ISJS faculty, they will begin translating two Jain Āgamas from Prakrit into Japanese—an unprecedented initiative.
ISJS also offers advanced instruction in Prakrit, Apabhramsha, and Brahmi script, with plans to include Kannada and Tamil.

As in past years, ISJS will conduct its 5-week Summer School, welcoming scholars from the USA, UK, Kenya, Philippines, Bangladesh, and India.

Arihanta Institute: A Rising Star

Arihanta Institute, a three-year-old online university, is quickly gaining momentum. Just two weeks ago, it received a $1 million endowment to establish the Tīrthaṅkara Śreyāṃśanātha Professorship in Vegan and Animal Advocacy Studies, with Dr. Jonathan Dickstein appointed as the inaugural professor.

The Institute now features:

• Four full-time, highly qualified faculty members and a dozen adjunct instructors
• Partnerships with several U.S. universities
• An accredited MA program, with a PhD program launching soon in collaborations with Claremont School of Theology.
• A catalog of over 50 global standalone courses

Support & Scholarship

To date, more than ₹200 crore (approximately $24 million USD) has been invested—not by Jain institutions, but by universities themselves—in training and educating over 80 Jain scholars, including faculty and PhD students. The Jain community is the true beneficiary of this remarkable support.

Our scholars are all under the age of 45, exceptionally well-educated, and linguistically adept—fluent in Hindi, Gujarati, Prakrit, Sanskrit, and, in some cases, Tamil and Kannada.

Publications & Future Outlook

Nearly 70–80 scholarly books have been published internationally. Recent works include studies on Jain mathematics, the dating of Bhagwan Mahavira’s Nirvana, and the practical applications of Anekāntavāda. Additionally, multi-volume series on Jain contributions in nearly 100 academic fields are currently in development.

Our newly established Center for Jain Studies at the University of Turin in Italy—staffed by four dedicated scholars—is already making a significant impact.

All these developments point to one shared vision:

To make the 21st century the Century of Jain Academic Education.
And truly, this is just the beginning.

Warm regards,
Sulekh C. Jain, PhD
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA