A cohort of more than 35 scholars, students, and emerging researchers from around the world will attend the Immersive Summer School in Ladnun, Rajasthan, from July 20 to Aug. 7.
Focused on Jain studies, the program is being organized in collaboration with Jain Vishva Bharati Institute and Dr. Shivani Bothra of California State University, Long Beach.
The summer school will take place in Ladnun, a city with a long history as a center of Jain learning and spiritual practice. Participants will have the opportunity to engage directly with monks, nuns, and lay followers of the Jain Terapanth tradition, gaining firsthand insight into the lived experience of Jainism.
Selected for their demonstrated commitment to the scholarly study of Jainism, participants will take part in an intensive three-week curriculum. The program includes language instruction at multiple levels, lectures on Jain philosophy and practice, hands-on work with manuscript collections, and training in prekṣā meditation and yoga.
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Beyond the classroom, the Summer School will provide participants with daily opportunities to engage with respected Jain leader Acharya Mahashraman. Through dialogue, observation, and reflection, attendees will gain deeper insight into the practice and evolution of contemporary Jainism.
The program also includes a range of experiential learning opportunities, such as visits to temples and other religious sites, interactions with Jain mendicants, research in the institute’s library collections, and participation in ritual observances and contemplative practices.
According to the organizers, the initiative is designed to bridge scholarly inquiry and lived experience, enabling participants to study South Asian religious traditions within their cultural and spiritual context.
As part of the program, organizers will also host a conference titled “Ācārya Bhikṣu: Literature and Legacy” from Aug. 3 to 6. The conference will bring together scholars and practitioners from a range of disciplines to examine the intellectual, literary, and historical contributions of Ācārya Bhikṣu, the influential founder of the Terapanth Jain tradition. Sessions will explore his impact on religious thought, ethics, literature, and reform movements within Jainism and beyond.
The Immersive Summer School in Ladnun is sponsored by Dr. Jasvant Modi and the Jain Education and Research Foundation. According to organizers, the program reflects growing international interest in Jain studies and contemplative traditions within the humanities and social sciences.
By bringing together participants from diverse academic, cultural, and geographic backgrounds, the initiative aims to foster scholarly collaboration and cross-cultural understanding while offering a deeper global appreciation of one of India’s major spiritual traditions.