Guardians of the Transcendent

An Ethnography of a Jain Ascetic Community

Anne Vallely

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English

University of Toronto Press
30 November 2002

Jainism; Physical anthropology & ethnography

Series: Anthropological Horizons

Itinerant white-robed ascetics represent the highest ethical ideal among the Jains of rural Rajasthan.

They renounce family, belongings, and desires in order to lead lives of complete non-violence.

In their communities, Jain ascetics play key roles as teachers and exemplars of the truth; they are embodiments of the lokottar - the realm of the transcendent.

Based on thirteen months of fieldwork in the town of Ladnun, Rajasthan, India, among a community of Terapanthi Svetambar Jains, this book explores the many facets of what constitutes a moral life within the Terapanthi ascetic community, and examines the central role ascetics play in upholding the Jain moral order.

Focussing on the Terapanthi moral universe from the perspective of female renouncers, Vallely considers how Terapanthi Jain women create their own ascetic subjectivities, and how they construct and understand themselves as symbols of renunciation.

The first in-depth ethnographic study of this important and influential Jain tradition, this work makes a significant contribution to Jain studies, comparative religion, Indian studies, and the anthropology of South Asian religion.

By: Anne Vallely
Imprint: University of Toronto Press
Country of Publication: Canada
Dimensions: Height: 223mm, Width: 150mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 420g
ISBN: 9780802084156
ISBN 10: 080208415X
Series: Anthropological Horizons
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 30 November 2002
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational , A / AS level , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Anne Vallely is a part-time lecturer in the Departments of Anthropology and Religion at Concordia University, and in the Faculty of Religious Studies at McGill University.

Reviews for Guardians of the Transcendent: An Ethnography of a Jain Ascetic Community

'Some of the best ethnographic writing I've seen in quite some time... Wonderfully written, evocative, persuasive.' --Anne Meneley, Department of Anthropology, Trent University