Download or read book Riches and Renunciation written by James Laidlaw and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1995 with total page 454 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Jains of India are a flourishing and prosperous community, but their religion is focused on the teaching and example of ascetic renouncers, whose austere regime is actually dedicated to ending worldly life and often culminates in a fast to death. This book, which draws upon a detailed study of Jainism in the city of Jaipur, shows how renunciation and ascetism play a central part in the life of a thriving business community, and how world-renunciation combines for Jain families with the pursuit of worldly happiness.