Sunday, April 26, 2026
In spring 2026, MA and PhD students in a graduate seminar on religion and ecology prepared content to share on the website of the Bhagwan Adinath Animal Humanities Initative. They presented this research in a poster session held at the Jain Society of North Texas and sponsored by the Jain Education and Research Foundation.

The Bhagwan Adinath Animal Humanities Intiative is a collection of oral histories documenting the work of animal rescue and rehabilitation. The project takes inspiration from traditional Jain teachings related to the establishment of panjrapoles, or animal sanctuaries. As Jonathan Dickstein writes: "The common Jain practice of jīvadayā, or compassion (dayā) towards sentient beings (jīva), signifies providing animals with food, water, shelter, and medical care in circumstances where they would otherwise be deprived. The animal sanctuary (panjrapole) is thus—alongside vegetarianism or veganism—an example of compassion-in-action."

Graduate students in the spring session of PHIL 6720 Religion and Ecology contributed interviews to the initative and also conducted research for the website on related topics. This research will expand the initiative's website to include not only the archive of oral history interviews but also a collection of further resources. Topics include overviews of fields such as animal ethics in philosophy, animal studies in religion, animal narratives in Jainism and related religions, as well as a a history of the environmental philosophy program at UNT that houses Jain Studies.

On April 26, 2026, the graduate students presented their research in a poster session at the Jain Society of North Texas, with lunch sponsored by the Jain Education and Research Foundation. Here you can browse their posters and see more photos from the day's activities.

A row of people stand outside a brick building.
Participants gather before the event. Pictured left to right: Amit Jain (JSNT), Ramya Ravinuthala (UNT), Amber Brasher (UNT), Sapan Bafna (JSNT and JERF), Alaina Smith (UNT), Shaily Jain (JSNT and JERF), Tim Lin (UNT), Leah Kalmanson (UNT), Richard Gamez (UNT), Zechen Wang (UNT).
People stand in a large room to look at posters.
Pathshala students and JSNT members visit the poster session.
People stand in a semicircle in front of a poster.
Alaina Smith presents her research with Em Jackson on Jainism and environmental ethics.
People stand in a semicircle around a poster.
Zechen Wang presents his research with Xu Tan on stories of self-sacrifice for the sake of animals in Jainism and Buddhism.
People stand in a semicircle around a poster.
Jack Eudy presents his research on the history of animal experimentation.
People stand in a semicircle around a poster.
Richard Gamez presents his research on bird imagery in Jainism.
People stand in a semicircle around a poster.
Tim (Tianrong) Lin presents his research on religion and ecology.
People stand in a row in a white room.
Students visit the Digambara temple.
People stand in a semicircle in a white room.
Students visit the Śvetāmbara temple.
People pose in the kitchen of a cafeteria.
Special thanks goes to JERF for sponsoring lunch and the fantastic volunteers at JSNT for preparing the food!

 

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