The UCI Religious Studies Program is pleased to announce three winners of the Shri Parshvanath Achievement in Jaina Studies award. These awards typically apply to second- or third-year students who demonstrate meritorious work in Jain Studies and South Asian traditions in the upper-level course [RS 125], Jain History, Culture & Ethics.
- Jordan Stanley 2025, Major: Philosophy
- Sakura Hyuga 2026, Major: Philosophy / Minor: Political Science
- Willis He 2025, Majors: Sociology and Philosophy
Sakura, Jordan, and Willis excelled in essays exploring (1) complexities of "Jaina" identity, (2) a specific Jain "real" (tattva), (3) mendicant/lay restraints, and (4) the living Jain tradition through a visit to the Jain Center of Southern California.
Sakura demonstrated special interest in the political formation of "Jaina" identity through Article 25 of the Indian Constitution. She explored the Jain "real," or tattva, of the jīva, or core life force, as it offers an alternative epistemic engagement with self-awareness productive of transformed conduct of nonviolence, or ahiṃsā. She undertook her own version of a lay restraint by avoiding meat, eggs, and dairy for 3 days to explore the purpose of the aṇuvratas, or minor vows, of the Jain lay community. Her reflection following the Jain Center visit connected the shared vegetarian meal with Umāsvāti's dietary dialogues in the early translated Jain text Tattvārtha-sūtra (early centuries CE).
Jordan explored his interest in early translated primary sources describing the early phases of Jain nonviolence (ahiṃsā) and the metaphysical significance of jīva as both permanent and changing. In the embodied practice essay, Jordan limited use of his phone, computer, and television for an entire weekend as a reflection of the lay vow of aparigraha (non-possession/non-attachment) as a means to restrain the four psychological passions, or kaṣāyas, or passions of anger, ego, deceit, and greed. His Jain Center reflection included a creative application of the Jain logical concept of anekāntavāda, or "non-one-sided view," to the pluralist speakers from different traditions who presented at the Center for the Wildlands-Urban Interface for Climate Action Network (WUICAN) event on Air, alongside diverse engagements with Jain lay people who Jordan spoke with during the visit.
Willis surveyed diverse historical explanations for the Brāhmaṇic-Śramaṇic relation and the distinct definitions of the kṣatriya class in Jain and Vedic narratives. He focused on the multiple facets of right view, or samyak darśana. Willis attempted a Jain practice of upvas, or fasting, for 24 hours, made more valuable by his description of failing the fast as he reflected on the necessary commitment to philosophical nonviolence to support such a task, rather than merely trying to attain it for an assignment. Willis focused on the material and ethical significance of Jaina pūjā, or worship, which, while not directed toward a deity, aims to cultivate inner dispositions, or bhāva, necessary to affect practical application of Jain ideals in a dynamic more-than-human world.
Each award comes with a $250 gift offered through the Shri Parshvanath Presidential Chair in Jain Studies, housed in the Religious Studies Program. The awards will be presented at the UCI Religious Studies Awards on May 19, 2025, 4 -5:30 pm.
Please join us in Congratulating Sakura, Jordan, and Willis on their good work.