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FIU Miami |
"God as King or God as Ascetic?" - Prof. John E. Cort, Denison University.
The Second Annual Mahavir Jayanti Lecture was delivered by Prof. John E. Cort of Denison University on April 4th, 2012 at 6:00PM in the GC Ballrooms at FIU. Prof. Cort was introduced by Prof. Nathan Katz, Bhagwan Mahavir Professor of Jain Studies. In his lecture entitled: "God as King or God as Ascetic?" Prof. Cort highlighted the contrasting style of iconography between the Shwetambar and Digambar Jain traditions. The main difference is that the Digambar Jain images of Tirthankars are naked, unornamented, plain, and made of unpainted stone/metal. On the other hand, the Shwetambar Jain images are always slightly clothed, have expensive ornamentation, are painted, have eyes and permanent forehead decorations, and are decorated with angi (a limb). In other words, the Digambar Jain images represent God as Ascetic, while the Shwetambar Jain images represent God as King. John E. Cort also mentioned that the visual contrast between these two Jain images is also present in other religions, such as in Christianity in which Jesus is sometimes represented in a throne as king or crucified as ascetic. A complimentary Jain vegetarian dinner was arranged by the local Jain community on this occasion.