Synopses & Reviews
With an inside view from an expert in the field, solid scholarship, and a clear and engaging writing style, Asian Philosophies invites students and professors to think along with the great thinkers of the Asian traditions.
John M. Koller is a scholar and teacher who has devoted his life to understanding Asian thought and practice. He wrote this text to give students and professors access to the rich philosophical and religious ideas of both South and East Asia.
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Synopsis
This book carefully introduces and analyzes the basic philosophical ideas, theories, and arguments of the most important philosophers of China, Japan, and India–from ancient times to the present. It provides insights into the different ways in which fundamental philosophical questions have been considered in Asia, and the basic ideas and values that enable us to understand the life and culture of the people who inhabit it. Three-part coverage looks at the historical perspectives–and much more–of Indian, Buddhist, and Chinese philosophies. For individuals interested in Asian philosophy and theology.
About the Author
John M. Koller is a Professor of Asian and Comparative Philosophy at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His research areas include Buddhism and Psychoanalysis, and Philosophy of Religion. He is the author of more than fifty journal articles and chapters in edited books as well as five books. In addition, he is the recipient of several prestigious teaching awards: Selected Outstanding Educator of America, 1975; Named Outstanding World Philosopher, 2005; Wm. H. Wiley Distinguished Faculty Award, 1986; and Rensselaer Distinguished Teaching Fellow, 1990-92.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
PART I
SOUTH ASIAN PHILOSOPHIES
CHAPTER 1
Historical Perspectives
Historical Overview
Dominant Features
Review Questions
Further Reading
CHAPTER 2
Vedas and Upanishads
Indus Culture
Vedic Thought
Origins of Existence
The Upanishads
Quest for Brahman
Quest for the Ultimate Self (Atman)
Tat Tvam Asi
Review Questions
Further Reading
CHAPTER 3
The Jain Vision
Overview
Mahavira
Karmic Bondage
Reality
Kinds of Karma
Way of Liberation
Knowledge
Faith
Conduct
Impact of Jain Thought
Review Questions
Further Reading
Notes
CHAPTER 4
Buddhism: The Basic Teachings
Overview
The Buddha
Quest for Enlightenment
Enlightenment
The Noble Fourfold Truth
The First Noble Truth
The Second Noble Truth
The Third Noble Truth
The Fourth Truth:The Noble Eightfold Path
Review Questions
Further Reading
Notes
CHAPTER 5
Interdependent Arising and the Development of Mahayana
Conditioned Existence
Mindfulness
Perfection of Wisdom and Rise of Mahayana
Reading the Texts
Diamond Sutra
Heart Sutra
Review Questions
Further Reading
Notes
CHAPTER 6
Madhyamaka and Yogacara
Overview of Madhyamaka:The Middle Way Tradition
Nagarjuna’s Method
Yogacara
Nature and Function of Consciousness
Knowledge of Reality
Review Questions
Further Reading
Notes
CHAPTER 7
Society and the Individual
Bhagavad Gita
Human Aims
Social Classes
Life-Stages
Review Questions
Further Reading
Notes
CHAPTER 8
Self and the World: Sankhya-Yoga
Causality
Evolution of the World
Yoga: The Way of Discipline
Forces of Bondage
Techniques of Yoga
Review Questions
Further Reading
Notes
CHAPTER 9
Knowledge and Reality: Nyaya-Vaisheshika
The Problem of Knowledge
Perceptual Knowledge
Inference
Comparison
Testimony
Objects of Knowledge:The Vaisheshika Categories
The Knower
Review Questions
Further Reading
CHAPTER 10
Self and Reality: Mimamsa and Vedanta
Mimamsa
Vedanta
Shankara’s Nondualism
Appearance and Reality
The Qualified Nondualism of Ramanuja
The Dualistic Vedanta of Madhva
Review Questions
Further Reading
Notes
CHAPTER 11
Theistic Developments
Vishnu
Krishna
Kali
Shiva
Review Questions
Further Reading
CHAPTER 12
Islam
Introduction
Basic Teachings of Islam
Development of Sufi Thought
The Sufi Path
Interaction Between Muslims and Hindus
Religion and Politics
Review Questions
Further Reading
Notes
CHAPTER 13
Tradition and Modernity
Gandhi
Aurobindo
Iqbal
Radhakrishnan
Review Questions
Further Reading
Notes
PART II
PHILOSOPHIES OF EAST ASIA
CHAPTER 14
Historical Overview of East Asian Philosophies
Pre-Confucian China
Confucianism
Daoism
Moism
School of Names
Divination and Cosmology
Legalism
Synthesis
Buddhism
Korean Philosophy
Japanese Philosophy
Neo-Confucianism
Basic Characteristics
Review Questions
Further Reading
CHAPTER 15
Confucianism: The Thought of Confucius
Confucius
Human-heartedness (Ren)
Propriety (Li)
Filiality (Xiao)
Rightness (Yi)
Rectification of Names (Zheng Ming)
Governing by Virtue
Review Questions
Further Reading
Notes
CHAPTER 16
Development of Confucianism: Mengzi, Xunzi, and Dong Zhongshu
Challenges to Confucian Thought
Mengzi
Xunzi
Dong Zhongshu and a New Form of Confucianism
Review Questions
Further Reading
Notes
CHAPTER 17
Daoism: The Daodejing
Laozi
The Dao and Its Functions
Review Questions
Further Reading
CHAPTER 18
Zhuangzi’s Daoism
Zhuangzi
Relativity of Distinctions
Complementariness of Opposites
Argument from Perspectives
Argument from Skepticism
Review Questions
Further Reading
Notes
CHAPTER 19
Chinese Buddhism
Introduction from Central Asia and India
Translations and Interpretations
Tiantai
Huayan
Chan
Pure Land (Jingtu)
Review Questions
Further Reading
Notes
CHAPTER 20
Neo-Confucianism: The Grand Harmony
The Buddhist Challenge
Neo-Confucian Beginnings
Zhou Dunyi
Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi
Zhu Xi
The Idealism of Lu Xiangshan and Wang Yangming
Wang Yangming
Dai Zhen
Review Questions
Further Reading
Notes
CHAPTER 21
Korean Philosophy
Introduction
Wonhyo
Chinul
Korean Neo-Confucianism
Yi T’oegye
Yi Yulgok
Review Questions
Further Reading
Notes
CHAPTER 22
Japanese Philosophy
Overview
Tendai
Pure Land
Zen
Dogen
Indian and Chinese Foundations
Daoist Influences
Aims of Zen
Zazen
Koan Practice
Zen Teachings
Ox-Herding: Stages of Practice
Review Questions
Further Reading
Notes
CHAPTER 23
Recent Thought
Kang Youwei
Zhang Dongsun
Xiong Shili
Fung Yu-lan
Nishida Kitaro
Post-Mao Thought
Review Questions
Further Reading
Notes
Glossary
Pronunciation Guide
Index