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Books > Philosophy > Non-Western philosophy
This compilation contains three of the most revered and celebrated texts by the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius. The Analects of Confucius were penned during the Warring States period of Chinese antiquity, which saw great social upheaval between the various realms of the Middle Kingdom. Divided into twenty principle chapters (called books) - the subjects range from wise behaviour in times of crisis to general instruction upon how to live a peaceful life characterised by a serene mood, humility to others, and quality work performed well. The Great Learning: One of the classic four books of ancient Confucianism consists of a short initial commentary attributed to Confucius himself, followed by a lengthier tract written by one of his disciples named Zengzi. Another classic book of Confucian thought, The Doctrine of the Mean, is a practical guide for those aspiring to sublime wisdom. It demonstrates how a balanced, harmonious manner of living is the most conducive to joy and satisfaction.
The Emptiness of Emptiness presents the first English translation of the complete text of the Madhyamakavatara (Entry into the Middle Way) a sixth century Sanskrit Buddhist composition that was widely studied in Tibet and, presumably, in its native India as well. In his lengthy introduction to the translation, Huntington offers a judiciously crafted, highly original discussion of the central philosophy of Mahayana Buddhism. He lays out the principal ideas of emptiness and dependent origination not as abstract philosophical concepts, but rather as powerful tools for restructuring the nature of human experience at the most fundamental level. Drawing on a variety of Indian and Western sources, both ancient and modern, Huntington gradually leads the reader toward an understanding of how it is that sophisticated philosophical thinking can serve as a means for breaking down attachment to any idea, opinion or belief. All of this on the Buddhist premise that habitual, unreflective identification with ideas, opinions, or beliefs compromises our appreciation of the ungraspable miracle that lies at the heart of everyday, conventional reality. The author shows how the spiritual path of the bodhisattva works to transform the individual personality from a knot of clinging into a vehicle for the expression of profound wisdom (prajna) and unconditional love (karuna).
The advent of Hindu Studies coincides with the emergence of modern hermeneutics. Despite this co-emergence and rich possibilities inherent in dialectical encounters between theories of modern and post-modern hermeneutics, and those of Hindu hermeneutical traditions, such an enterprise has not been widely endeavored. The aim of this volume is to initiate such an interface. Essays in this volume reflect one or more of the following categories: (1) Examination of challenges and possibilities inherent in applying Western hermeneutics to Hindu traditions. (2) Critiques of certain heuristics used, historically, to "understand" Hindu traditions. (3) Elicitation of new hermeneutical paradigms from Hindu thought, to develop cross-cultural or dialogical hermeneutics. Applications of interpretive methodologies conditioned by Western culture to classify Indian thought have had important impacts. Essays by Sharma, Bilimoria, Sugirtharajah, and Tilak examine these impacts, offering alternate interpretive models for understanding Hindu concepts in particular and the Indian religious context in general. Several essays offer original insights regarding potential applications of traditional Hindu philosophical principles to cross-cultural hermeneutics (Long, Bilimoria, Klostermaier, Adarkar, and Taneja). Others engage Hindu texts philosophically to elicit deeper interpretations (Phillips, and Rukmani). In presenting essays that are both critical and constructive, we seek to uncover intellectual space for creative dialectical engagement that, we hope, will catalyze a reciprocal hermeneutics.
The Hindu scriptures the Upanishads are, according to German scholar PAUL DEUSSEN (1845-1919), the culminating point of the Indian doctrine of the universe, an achievement that had been reached even before the arrival of the Buddha. In this work-originally published in German in 1906 and translated into English two years later-Deussen explores the place of the Upanishads in the literature of the Veda and explains the theology, cosmology, and psychology of that holy book. A landmark for East-West cross-cultural scholarship, The Philosophy of the Upanishads helped create the European understanding of the mind and heart of India, a philosophical and cultural endeavor that consumed both academics and armchair truth-seekers of the day. Today, it is still essential reading for anyone wishing to obtain a deeper knowledge of Indian spiritual wisdom.
Challenges accepted beliefs that Confucianism is a cause of women's oppression and explores Confucianism as an ethical system compatible with gender parity.
Although Western interest in Chinese philosophy has been increasing in the last decade, the Confucian tradition is still often misunderstood. This volume offers the key to understanding Confucian philosophy by presenting a comprehensive account of its spiritual roots. The author focuses on the Classical and Sung-Ming periods, the two most important periods of Confucianism. Topics covered include: Confucius, Mencius, the I-Ching, and important figures from the Sung and Ming periods.
"In 12 excellent essays by scholars East and West, this collection explores the many dimensions of Heidegger's relation to Eastern thinking.... Because of the quality of the contributions, the eminence of the many contributors... this volume must be considered an indispensable reference on the subject. Highly recommended." --Choice.
Islamic Thought is a fresh and contemporary introduction to the philosophies and doctrines of Islam. Abdullah Saeed, a distinguished Muslim scholar, traces the development of religious knowledge in Islam, from the pre-modern to the modern period. The book focuses on Muslim thought, as well as the development, production and transmission of religious knowledge, and the trends, schools and movements that have contributed to the production of this knowledge. Key topics in Islamic culture are explored, including the development of the Islamic intellectual tradition, the two foundation texts, the Qur'an and Hadith, legal thought, theological thought, mystical thought, Islamic Art, philosophical thought, political thought, and renewal, reform and rethinking today. Through this rich and varied discussion, Saeed presents a fascinating depiction of how Islam was lived in the past and how its adherents practise it in the present. Islamic Thought is essential reading for students beginning the study of Islam but will also interest anyone seeking to learn more about one of the world's great religions.
Islamic Thought is a fresh and contemporary introduction to the philosophies and doctrines of Islam. Abdullah Saeed, a distinguished Muslim scholar, traces the development of religious knowledge in Islam, from the pre-modern to the modern period. The book focuses on Muslim thought, as well as the development, production and transmission of religious knowledge, and the trends, schools and movements that have contributed to the production of this knowledge. Key topics in Islamic culture are explored, including the development of the Islamic intellectual tradition, the two foundation texts, the Qur'an and Hadith, legal thought, theological thought, mystical thought, Islamic Art, philosophical thought, political thought, and renewal, reform and rethinking today. Through this rich and varied discussion, Saeed presents a fascinating depiction of how Islam was lived in the past and how its adherents practise it in the present. Islamic Thought is essential reading for students beginning the study of Islam but will also interest anyone seeking to learn more about one of the world's great religions.
Al-Kindi was the first philosopher of the Islamic world. He lived
in Iraq and studied in Baghdad, where he became attached to the
caliphal court. In due course he would become an important figure
at court: a tutor to the caliph's son, and a central figure in the
translation movement of the ninth century, which rendered much of
Greek philosophy, science, and medicine into Arabic. Al-Kindi's
wide-ranging intellectual interests included not only philosophy
but also music, astronomy, mathematics, and medicine. Through deep
engagement with Greek tradition al-Kindi developed original
theories on key issues in the philosophy of religion, metaphysics,
physical science, and ethics. He is especially known for his
arguments against the world's eternity, and his innovative use of
Greek ideas to explore the idea of God's unity and
transcendence.
Mozi (ca. 479-381), known as the first outspoken critic of Confucius, is an important but neglected figure in early Chinese philosophy. The book Mozi, named after master Mo, was compiled in the course of the fifth - third centuries BCE. The seven studies included in the The Mozi as an Evolving Text take a fresh look at the Core Chapters, Dialogues, and Opening Chapters of the book Mozi. Rather than presenting a unified vision of Mohist thought, the contributions search for different voices in the text and for evolutions or tensions between its chapters. By analysing the Mozi as an evolving text, these studies not only contribute to the rejuvenation of Mozi studies, but also to the methodology of studying ancient Chinese texts.
Millenarian movements have been mainly studied from a monotheistic perspective. Traditional explanations for millenarian movements may not be applicable to Asian cases, since Asian millenarian views of salvation differ from non-Asian ones. This groundbreaking book re-examines the Taiping and the Tonghak movements in nineteenth-century Asia using a much wider range of sources than have been used by scholars in the past. It provides an understanding of the movements as an expression, in part, of deeply-rooted Asian spiritual ideas. It also offers historical and philosophical reflections on what studies of Asian millenarianism can contribute to the comparative study of millenarianism. The foreword is by eminent Asian Studies scholar, F. Hilary Conroy.
In The Concealed Art of the Soul, Jonardon Ganeri presents a
variety of perspectives on the nature of the self as seen by major
schools of classical Indian philosophy.
Featuring the Chinese text on the left and the English translation on the right, this beautifully bound edition of Sun Tzu's classic text makes a unique gift or collector's item. Written in the sixth century BCE, Sun Tzu's The Art of War is still widely read and consulted today for its timeless, piercing insights into strategy and tactics. Napoleon, Mao Zedong, General Vo Nguyen Giap, and General Douglas MacArthur all claimed to have drawn inspiration from it. Beyond the world of war, business and management gurus have also applied Sun Tzu's ideas to office politics and corporate strategy. This edition of The Art of War is printed on high-quality paper and bound by traditional Chinese book-making techniques. It contains the full 13 chapters on such topics as laying plans, attacking by stratagem, weaponry, terrain, and the use of spies. Sun Tzu addresses different campaign situations, marching, energy, and how to exploit your enemy's weaknesses. This edition is an essential addition to any library, whether you're fascinated by the philosophy of warfare, Chinese history, or even twenty-first-century business.
It is a commonplace that while Asia is nondualistic, the West, because of its uncritical reliance on Greek-derived intellectual standards, is dualistic. Dualism is a deep-seated habit of thinking and acting in all spheres of life through the prism of binary opposites leads to paralyzing practical and theoretical difficulties. Asia can provide no assistance for the foreseeable future because the West finds Asian nondualism, especially that of Mahayana Buddhism, too alien and nihilistic. On the other hand, postmodern thought, which purports to deliver us from the dualisms embedded in modernity, turns out to be merely a pseudo-postmodernism. This book's novel idea is that the West already contains within one of its more marginalized roots, that of ancient Hebrew culture, a pre-philosophical form of nondualism which makes possible a new form of nondualism, one to which the West can subscribe. This new nondualism, inspired by Buddhism but not identical to it, is an epistemological, ontological, metaphysical, and praxical middle way both for the West and also between East and West.>
"Eastern Wisdom Helps Enterprise: The True Story of a Successful Entrepreneur" records John S. Song's personal experience starting and building a successful company with $50,000 capital, and growing it to $20,000,000 revenue by following Western modern management technology and adopting Eastern wisdom. "If you want to be an entrepreneur and get rich, you must create a culture for your organization based on modern management methods and Eastern wisdom like I have done," explains Mr. Song. "Eastern wisdom is the essence of the 2000 years of time-tested philosophies of Confucius, Mencius, Sunzi, and Chinese proverbs which explain the true value of loyalty, trustworthiness and benevolence. "Practicing this culture in your business will guide you to glorious, lasting success that will change your life!" Problems and solutions that occurred during Mr. Song's business years are written in story telling narrative for enjoyable reading. Each case is concluded with an Eastern wisdom proverb to indicate the philosophical principle applied. "Take advantage of the magic power derived from the marriage of East and West!"
Indian philosophy bases itself on three states of consciousness: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. Deep sleep, or susupti, plays an important role in Advaita Vedā nta, the major philosophical school that advocates a doctrine of pure consciousness. Explaining and savoring this paradox, this book shows how the concept of deep sleep can be used in Advaita Vedā nta to reveal a philosophical insight, validate an argument, illustrate a moral, or adorn a tale. Arvind Sharma explores why sleep is a phenomenon that philosophers should be interested in and examines it in classical Hindu religious texts, including the Upanishads, and in foundational, early, and modern Advaita Vedā nta.
This study of Sayf al-Din al-Amidi's (d. 631/1233) teachings on creation offers close analysis of all of his extant works of falsafa and kalam. Some of these were not known to previous scholars, yet they bear witness to key facets of the interaction between the historically inimical traditions of Hellenic philosophy and rational theology at this important intellectual moment. Al-Amidi is seen to grapple with the encounter of two paradigms for the discussion of creation. On the one hand, Ibn Sina's metaphysical concept of necessity of existence is the basis of his doctrine of the world's pre-eternal emanation. On the other, for the mutakallimun, the physical theory of atomism bolsters the view that God created the world from nothing. This study is of interest to scholars of Ibn Sina and Ash'arism alike, as it advances our understanding of the ongoing tradition of rational theology in the Islamic world, long past Abu Hamid al-Ghazali's (d. 505/1111) famous attack on the philosophers.
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