Podcast 27

In this episode of the Engaged Jain Studies Podcast, Arihanta Institute professor Christopher Jain Miller, PhD, engages in a profound conversation with Dr. Anna Halafoff, Associate Professor in Sociology of Religion and Religious Studies at Deakin University, Australia. Their discussion delves into the Buddhist philosophy of compassion—its ethical, contemplative, and social dimensions—with a particular focus on the Dzogchen tradition’s distinctive approach to rest, (non)action, and compassionate responsibility.

Together, Professor Miller and Dr. Halafoff discuss how meditative practices cultivate resilience and empathy in both personal and collective contexts. They further consider how Buddhist ethics of interdependence can inform global engagement, ecological responsibility, and compassionate coexistence in today’s interconnected world. Listen for inspiration on how to cultivate compassion for oneself and others using Buddhist teachings and techniques.

Course Spotlight — 2022 | Buddhism, (Non)Action & Compassionate Responsibility — available for self-study on Monday, December 1, 2025.

This course invites learners to explore Buddhist understandings of compassion through the lens of Dzogchen Buddhism’s teachings on rest and (non)action. Students will examine how awareness and spaciousness form the foundation for compassionate responsiveness, while engaging with accessible practices and readings provided throughout the course.

Offered by the Compassion Studies Initiative (CSI@AI) at Arihanta Institute, this course is made possible through the generous support of the Uberoi Foundation.

👉🏽✨ Pre-register now and unlock unlimited access to 60+ courses with a 14-day free trial through Arihanta Institute’s Course Membership! Join a global community of lifelong learners dedicated to positive change and a more compassionate, purposeful life.

Start your free trial!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & LINKS

• 2022 | Buddhism, (Non)Action & Compassionate Responsibility
• The Compassion Studies Initiative is supported by a grant from the Uberoi Foundation.
• Course Membership - Start Your 14-Day Free Trial

**********

About Our Podcast Guest

Dr. Anna Halafoff is Associate Professor in Sociology of Religion and Religious Studies at Deakin University. Her research expertise includes spirituality, Buddhism, religious diversity, interreligious relations, and social cohesion. She currently leads major projects on Buddhism in Australia: Belonging, Wellbeing, and Social Engagement and Spirituality in Australia: Wellness, Wellbeing, and Risks.

Dr. Halafoff is the author of Freedoms, Faiths and Futures: Teenage Australians on Religion, Sexuality and Diversity (Bloomsbury, 2021) and Religious Diversity in Australia: Living Well with Difference (Bloomsbury, 2024). A qualified yoga and meditation teacher with over 35 years of practice, she draws from both scholarly and experiential perspectives to deepen understanding of Buddhist compassion, rest, and ethical action.

About Our Podcast Host

Christopher Jain Miller, PhD, 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 serves as 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-directs the world’s first fully online Master of Arts in Engaged Jain Studies.

His research and teaching focus on Engaged Jainism, Modern Yoga, and South Asian Philosophy, and his recent publications include Embodying Transnational Yoga: Eating, Singing, and Breathing in Transformation (Routledge, 2024), Engaged Jainism: Critical and Constructive Approaches to the Study of Jain Social Engagement (SUNY Press, 2025, co-edited with Cogen Bohanec), and Beacons of Dharma: Spiritual Exemplars for the Modern Age (Lexington Books, 2020, co-edited with Pankaj Jain and Michael Reading).

Copyright 2025 Arihanta Institute