Pratikramaṇa for the Climate is an English language guided meditation beginning with the traditional Jain story of the elephant Meruprabha in a forest fire, followed by reflection on our actions as they relate to Jain values, a recitation of sūtras, and an invitation to take practical vows that will support the well-being of all beings on our planet. Like the traditional Jain pratikramaṇa, there are elements of introspection and repentance.

 

Participants will explore the ancient Jain values of non-violence, non-attachment to material possessions, devotion to truth, recognition of the interdependence of life, and our traditional practices of simplicity and renunciation. They will then consider the alignment of our tradition with the actions we can take as individuals, members of the Jain community and world citizens to help solve this most pressing modern problem of the climate crisis.

 

 

 

Dr. Jhankhana Jina Shah is a lifelong Jain and a trained Climate Realities Leader. Dr. Shah has been vegan for 35 years, and  is also a past chair of the Eco Vegan Committee of JAINA, (the Federation of Jain Associations of North America), and has written about the compassion and health aspects of veganism from a Jain perspective at veganjains.com. Professionally she is dual board certified in Family Medicine and General Preventive Medicine. She has worked in clinical medicine, public health, pharmaceutical safety and bioethics.  

 

 

 

 

 

Christopher Jain Miller, the co-founder and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Arihanta Institute, completed his PhD in the Study of Religion at the University of California, Davis. He is Professor of Jain and Yoga Studies at Arihanta Institute, Visiting Researcher at the University of Zürich's Asien-Orient-Institut, and Professor of Engaged Jain Studies at Claremont School of Theology. Christopher's primary fields of research interest are Yoga Studies and Engaged Jain Studies, and he currently serves as the co-chair of the Yoga in Theory and Practice Unit at the American Academy of Religion as well as on the steering committees for the Dharma Academy of North America (DANAM) and the Yoga Darśana Yoga Sādhana conference. Christopher is the author of Embodying Transnational Yoga: Eating, Singing, and Breathing in Transformation (Routledge 2024) and the co-editor of Engaged Jainism: Critical and Constructive Studies of Jain Social Engagement (SUNY 2025) as well as Beacons of Dharma: Spiritual Exemplars for the Modern Age (Lexington 2020).