Framing the Jina

Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Eastern Religions, Jainism, General Eastern Religions
Cover of the book Framing the Jina by John Cort, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John Cort ISBN: 9780190452575
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: January 21, 2010
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: John Cort
ISBN: 9780190452575
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: January 21, 2010
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

John Cort explores the narratives by which the Jains have explained the presence of icons of Jinas (their enlightened and liberated teachers) that are worshiped and venerated in the hundreds of thousands of Jain temples throughout India. Most of these narratives portray icons favorably, and so justify their existence; but there are also narratives originating among iconoclastic Jain communities that see the existence of temple icons as a sign of decay and corruption. The veneration of Jina icons is one of the most widespread of all Jain ritual practices. Nearly every Jain community in India has one or more elaborate temples, and as the Jains become a global community there are now dozens of temples in North America, Europe, Africa, and East Asia. The cult of temples and icons goes back at least two thousand years, and indeed the largest of the four main subdivisions of the Jains are called Murtipujakas, or "Icon Worshipers." A careful reading of narratives ranging over the past 15 centuries, says Cort, reveals a level of anxiety and defensiveness concerning icons, although overt criticism of the icons only became explicit in the last 500 years. He provides detailed studies of the most important pro- and anti-icon narratives. Some are in the form of histories of the origins and spread of icons. Others take the form of cosmological descriptions, depicting a vast universe filled with eternal Jain icons. Finally, Cort looks at more psychological explanations of the presence of icons, in which icons are defended as necessary spiritual corollaries to the very fact of human embodiedness.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

John Cort explores the narratives by which the Jains have explained the presence of icons of Jinas (their enlightened and liberated teachers) that are worshiped and venerated in the hundreds of thousands of Jain temples throughout India. Most of these narratives portray icons favorably, and so justify their existence; but there are also narratives originating among iconoclastic Jain communities that see the existence of temple icons as a sign of decay and corruption. The veneration of Jina icons is one of the most widespread of all Jain ritual practices. Nearly every Jain community in India has one or more elaborate temples, and as the Jains become a global community there are now dozens of temples in North America, Europe, Africa, and East Asia. The cult of temples and icons goes back at least two thousand years, and indeed the largest of the four main subdivisions of the Jains are called Murtipujakas, or "Icon Worshipers." A careful reading of narratives ranging over the past 15 centuries, says Cort, reveals a level of anxiety and defensiveness concerning icons, although overt criticism of the icons only became explicit in the last 500 years. He provides detailed studies of the most important pro- and anti-icon narratives. Some are in the form of histories of the origins and spread of icons. Others take the form of cosmological descriptions, depicting a vast universe filled with eternal Jain icons. Finally, Cort looks at more psychological explanations of the presence of icons, in which icons are defended as necessary spiritual corollaries to the very fact of human embodiedness.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book The Faustian Bargain by John Cort
Cover of the book Evaluation for Workplace Discrimination and Harassment by John Cort
Cover of the book Preparing for Weight Loss Surgery by John Cort
Cover of the book New Homelands by John Cort
Cover of the book If You Build It They Will Come by John Cort
Cover of the book Mafia Life by John Cort
Cover of the book Beyond the Roof of the World by John Cort
Cover of the book Islamic Humanism by John Cort
Cover of the book The Right To Be Loved by John Cort
Cover of the book The Mechanisms of Reactions Influencing Atmospheric Ozone by John Cort
Cover of the book The Marriage Paradox by John Cort
Cover of the book Another Cosmopolitanism by John Cort
Cover of the book Overcoming Your Alcohol or Drug Problem by John Cort
Cover of the book Nathaniel Taylor, New Haven Theology, and the Legacy of Jonathan Edwards by John Cort
Cover of the book Irving Berlin's American Musical Theater by John Cort
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy