In this episode of the Engaged Jain Studies Podcast, Professor Christopher Jain Miller interviews Dr. Nitin Shah about his humanitarian work grounded in Jain principles of ahimsa (non-violence), anekantavad (multiplicity of views), and aparigraha (non-possessiveness). Learn how Dr. Shah's early life experiences shaped his current work in compassionate humanitarianism through which he provides medical missions, natural disaster relief, and food service to the poor both in his local setting in Southern California and globally. Listen to how Dr. Shah explains the unique contributions other dharma traditions (Buddhism, Sikhism, and Hinduism) and world religions (Christianity, Islam, and Judaism) to the practice of compassion. Finally, learn how to put compassion into action in your own life as Dr. Shah walks you through his upcoming Compassion Studies Initiative course, 2019 | Interreligious Approaches to Compassion in Action.

 

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Dr. Nitin Shah is Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at Loma Linda University Health and a prominent leader of the Jain community. Dr. Shah has devoted his life to serving the underprivileged worldwide. Over the past 32 years, he has organized and led hundreds of humanitarian missions across 27 countries, personally traveling to 19 of them. His work has focused on providing essential medical care to underserved populations, driven by a deep commitment to global health equity.

 

Christopher Jain Miller is the co-founder, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Professor of Jain and Yoga Studies at Arihanta Institute. He completed his PhD in the study of Religion at the University of California, Davis and is also a Visiting Researcher at the University of Zürich's Asien-Orient-Institut and Visiting Professor at Claremont School of Theology where he co-developed and co-runs a remotely available Masters Degree Program focusing on Engaged Jain Studies. His current research focuses on Engaged Jainism and Modern Yoga, and he is the author of a number of articles and book chapters concerned with Jainism and the practice of modern yoga. Christopher is the author of Embodying Transnational Yoga: Eating, Singing, and Breathing in Transformation (Routledge 2024), as well as co-editor of the volumes Engaged Jainism: Critical and Constructive Approaches to the Study of Jain Social Engagement (SUNY 2025) and Beacons of Dharma: Spiritual Exemplars for the Modern Age (Lexington 2020).

 

The Compassion Studies Initiative is supported by a grant from the Uberoi Foundation.