Contents: Preface. 1. Jains. 2. Theory of soul and karmic matter (Axiom 1). 3. Hierarchy of life (Axiom 2). 4. Cycles of birth and death (Axiom 3). 5. Practical karmic fusion (Axiom 4A). 6. Extreme absorption of karmons (Axiom 4B). 7. The path to self-conquest (Axiom 4C). 8. The purification prescription. 9. Jain logic. 10. Jainism and modern science. Epilogue. Appendices. Bibliography. Index to glossary. General index.

"In The Scientific Foundations of Jainism Professor Mardia attempts to elucidate the point that Jainism is a science with religion. It brings together his attempts in a unified way. Four axioms are constructed which highlight the foundation of Jainism. For example, axiom I states that "The soul exists with karmic matter and it longs to be purified." These four axioms focus on the essence rather than on detail. After a very brief introduction to Jainism, the author introduces the axioms and discusses their theoretical and applied aspects and their plausibility in a modern context. It gives Jaina logic together with present trends in scientific thinking and indicates how Jainism and modern science are related. The book includes a bibliography, glossary and an index. Wherever possible, a sharper scientific pictorial representation has been given, and very few original terms are used in the text so that the flow of the arguments is not hampered. (jacket)