The UT Center for Religious Understanding, in collaboration with the Hindu Temple of Toledo, will hold a lecture on Jain traditions Tuesday, March 20, 7 p.m. in the Law Center Auditorium.

“This is the second lecture on Eastern religious traditions with collaboration, which is being organized as part of an effort for creation of endowed chair on Hinduism at The University of Toledo,” said Dr. Sudershan Pasupuleti, UT associate professor of social work and member of the advisory board of the UT Center for Religious Understanding, who also served as the past president of Hindu Temple of Toledo.

“The goal of the endowed chair on Hinduism is to add richness to diversity and create opportunities on Eastern faith traditions at our university and for our students and community at large,” Pasupuleti added.

“From Mahavir to Mahatma Gandhi: The Jain Traditions of India” will be delivered by Dr. Pankaj Jain, assistant professor of anthropology, philosophy and religion studies at the University of North Texas.

Jainism is an Indian religious tradition that strongly supports a path of nonviolence for all people and is separate from but similar to Hinduism. Pasupuleti added that Jain has done considerable academic work onJainism and Hinduism.

“There is a lot of religious diversity in our community with about 13 or 14 different religions represented in the area, so it’s important for the community to learn about different faith traditions.”

“The Jain Traditions of India” will be presented as the Annual Lecture on Eastern Religious Thought in the Center for Religious Understanding lecture series. The free, public lecture is co-sponsored by the Hindu Temple of Toledo.

Tags: College of Languages Literature and Social Sciences