"Jainism: An Indian Religion of Nonviolence" (Patrick Felix Krüger)
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"Jainism: An Indian Religion of Nonviolence" (Patrick Felix Krüger)
New Book Announcement
10/10/2025
I'm delighted to share that a long-awaited project is finally coming to fruition: our English translation of Patrick Krüger’s Jainism: An Indian Religion of Nonviolence (German: Jainismus: Eine indische Religion der Gewaltlosigkeit) is now available through Routledge.
This endeavor began in 2022 when Johannes Beltz handed me the original German edition during the Being Jain (Jain Sein) exhibition at Museum Rietberg in Zürich. At the time, I was serving on the exhibition’s advisory board. I found the book not only scholarly but also highly accessible and a pleasure to read, qualities not often easy to combine.
Soon afterward, in a fortunate moment of timing, Dr. Narendra Parson reached out to inquire whether Krüger’s book might be translated into English for the Jain communities in the UK and North America. I contacted Patrick Krüger, who informed me that he and Marion Frenger were already making plans for an English edition and who graciously welcomed me as a co-translator on the project.
Thanks to the generous support of Dr. Jasvant Modi and the Vardhamana Charitable Foundation, as well as the kind encouragement of Arihanta Institute, we were able to begin work without delay. Routledge, who had previously published my book Embodying Transnational Yoga, expressed immediate interest in publishing the translation. Reclam, the German publisher, kindly granted English rights to Routledge, and the project moved forward from there.
Krüger’s translated work beings with an enticing prologue – the same one I had read when Johannes Beltz handed the volume to me at Museum Rietberg in 2022. The volume then unfolds across six chapters encapsulating a wonderful introduction to key categories of the Jain tradition:
1. The Jina
2. Development and growth of Jainism
3. Literature and tradition
4. Understanding the world, ethics and philosophy
5. Religious practice
6. Art and symbolism
Following these six chapters, Krüger shares some important final reflections on the tradition in his epilogue, which leave the reader in a position of excitement to understand how the Jain tradition will continue to develop and transform in our global society.
It was a joy to see this work come to light, especially during the auspicious occasion of Paryushan when it was first publicly announced by Routledge. The book’s beautiful cover is now available for all to see, and pre-orders can be made on the Routledge website starting in October 10, 2025.
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 Adjunct Professor at Claremont School of Theology where he co-developed and co-runs the fully-online MA-Engaged Jain Studies graduate program.