AHIMSA CENTER NONVIOLENCE IN THOUGHT AND ACTION

Conference

Ahimsa and Aparigraha in Contemporary Contexts

Jul 3, 2005 to Jul 3, 2005

Location: Winchester Room, Westin Santa Clara, CA

Ahimsa Center at Cal Poly Pomona presents an international symposium featuring scholars and participants from all around the world. The purpose of this symposium is to examine the multiple dimensions of ahimsa (nonviolence) and aparigraha (nonpossession or simplicity) in Jainism, and explore their practical significance in the contemporary social, political and ecological contexts—especially, in addressing the problems of violence, exploitation, consumerism and poverty in our world.

Schedule

Time Description
7:30 a.m. Symposium Breakfast
8:30 - 8:40 a.m. Welcome Remarks
Anop Vora, President, JAINA
8:40 - 8:50 a.m. Felicitation and Recognition
Honoring Pratap Bhogilal for his leadership in promoting Jain Studies
Prem Jain, Cisco Systems
8:50 - 9:00 a.m. Jain Studies: A Vision for the Future
Pratap Bhogilal, Bhogilal Leherchand Institute of Indology, India
9:00 - 9:30 a.m. Introduction to the Symposium
Tara Sethia, Director, Ahimsa Center, Cal Poly Pomona
9:00 -10:15 a.m Session 1: Ahimsa and Aparigraha in Jain Art
Moderator
 :   Tara Sethia
Picturing Virtues: Ahimsa and Aparigraha in Art
Robert J. Del Bontà, Independent Scholar and Art Historian, San Francisco
10:15 - 10:30 a.m. Break
10:30 - 11:45 a.m. Session 2: Ahimsa and Aparigraha in Jain Literature
Moderator
 :   Jasvant Modi, Ajit Healthcare Inc., Los Angleles
Supatra and Kupatra: Jain Debates on Fruits of Giving
Peter Flugel, University of London, UK

Jain Discourses of Ahimsa, Aparigraha and Power: Sadhvis, Feminism and Body
Anne Vallely, University of Ottawa, Canada
11:45 - 1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 - 2:15 p.m Session 3: Reflections on Aparigraha and Ahimsa in Jain Tradition
Moderator:
 Bipin Shah, INC3 Ventures, Santa Clara
  Aparigraha, Consumerism and the Environment
Surendra Bothara, Prakrit Bharti Academy, Jaipur, India
Enough is Enough! Conquering Parigraha
Kristi Wiley, University of California, Berkeley
2:15 – 2:30 p.m. Break
2:30 - 3:45 p.m. Session 4: Re-enacting Aparigraha and Ahimsa in the Contexts of Globalization
Moderator
 :  Hema Pokharana, University of Chicago
Ecological Nonviolence: A Global Assessment
Michael Tobias, Independent Scholar, Film Producer, Los Angeles
Ahimsa and Health Care Ethics
Cromwell Crawford, University of Hawaii at Manoa
3:45 - 4:15 p.m. Break
4:15 - 6:15 p.m. Session 5: Ahimsa, Aparigraha and the World of Business
Moderator  :   Parveen Jain,   McAfee, Inc  .
The Value of Ahimsa in Corporate Culture
Jagdish N. Sheth, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Ahimsa and Business Leadership
Shailesh J. Mehta, Granite Hill Capital Ventures, CA
Business Ethics and Social Responsibility: Learning from Gandhi
Nirmal Sethia, Cal Poly Pomona
Pursuit of Ahimsa: Lessons from the Business World
Navindra Jain, Los Gatos, CA
6:15 p.m. Concluding Remarks
Tara Sethia
6:30 p.m. Dinner
8:00 p.m. Evening Entertainment Program by Anuradha Podwal and Manhar Udhas

Symposium Speakers

  • Pratap Bhogilal
  • Surendra Bothara
  • Cromwell Crawford
  • Robert J. Del Bontà
  • Peter Fluegel
  • Navindra Jain
  • Prem Jain
  • Shailesh J. Mehta
  • Nirmal Sethia
  • Tara Sethia
  • Jagdish N. Sheth
  • Michael Tobias
  • Anne Vallely
  • Anop R. Vora
  • Kristi L. Wiley

Symposium Moderators

  • Parveen K. Jain
  • Jasvant Modi
  • Hema Pokharna
  • Bipin Shah