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BOOK REVIEWS
HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF JAINISM
MAKING KIND CHOICES
KRISTI L. WILEY. LANHAM, MARYLAND: THE SCARECROW PRESS, 2004, PP. 287, ISBN 0-8108-5051-6 $58.25
BY INGRID NEWKIRK. ST. MARTIN'S GRIFFIN TRADE PAPERBACK ORIGINAL, 2005 CURRENT AFFAIRS, PP496 ISBN: 0-312-32993-8 $13.95
Ingrid Newkirk is the president and founder of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). A warm and inspirational writer (and also a faithful advocate of Jainism), Ingrid has produced an excellent guide book on the everyday options we have to be kinder to the world we live in. There is a wide range of topics, from recognising hidden animal ingredients in household products to the harmless way of getting that hairy little spider out of your bath! And as the Dalai Lama says of the book, "acts of kindness, even in the simplest ways, are what make our lives meaningful, bringing happiness to ourselves and others."
NHANCE
CRYDAY WA
LIFE THROU
RTH AND
Other chapters include Cruelty Free Recipes, Volunteering and investing in eco- and animal-friendly companies, Raising animal-friendly kids, Cruelty-free, environmentally friendly gift ideas and Travelling with eco-consciousness. The book is easily digestible as a whole but each section is inclusive and can be referenced to and read individually as the need arises. It is a must have for all modern Jains and Earth friendly people, as it offers real and
KIND practical advice on how to live ahimsa.
URLIFE TH
MAL-FRIR
LIVING
Kristi Wiley's book closes a vast gap in English language publishing on Jainism in providing short explanations of key concepts, texts, ceremonies, places, organisations and biographies of important historical personalities of the Jain tradition in an easily accessible format. In European languages, only Jozef Deleu's Die Mythologie des Jainismus (Stuttgart: Ernst Klett Verlag, 1978) in German language offers a similar format, though being of more limited scope. The Historical Dictionary of Jainism is Volume 53 of the popular Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies and Movements series edited by Jon Woronoff following the common format of the series. It contains a pronunciation guide, a list of the Shvetambara and Digambara scriptures (including some of the lost scriptures), an introductory essay, a map of major sites, dictionary entries in alphabetical order, and an extensive thematically structured bibliography. Seven appendices offer additional information on the gunasthanas, the pratimas, Jain festivals, and the signs (cognizances') and the birth and nirvana sites and the yaksas/yaksis that are conventionally associated with the twenty-four Tirthankaras. The book will be particularly popular amongst university students. It is also a useful resource for researchers studying Jainism as a living religion, and of course for anyone who is interested in learning more about one of the least studied of the great religious traditions of the world. The only drawback is a consequence of the rigid format of the series: There are no links between individual dictionary entries and the bibliography. The sources of information are therefore not clearly traceable for those who wish to know more about a particular subject. The need for selection of entries inevitably forced compromises upon the author. The missing index makes it very difficult to find, for example, the note on Jain Spirit on p. 252 at first glance, since it is not like The
Jain and The Jain
Digest, listed under HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF
'Associations of Jains in the Diaspora' but in the Introduction to the Bibliography, which also points to the Centre for Jain Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). PETER FLUGEL (SOAS)
MAKING
CHOICES
ORYSLE Paul McCartney
Visit the PETA website at www.peta.org. An extract from the book will appear in the next issue of Jain Spirit.
INGRID NEW KIRK
PRESIDENT OF PEOPLE FOR THE ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS
REBECCA HOH
PCTA
D
JINISM
WWW.TAINSPIRIT.COM
KRISTI L. WILEY
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