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Books > Humanities > Philosophy > Non-Western philosophy > Oriental & Indian philosophy
Yogacara and Tathagatagarbha are often regarded as antagonistic
Indian Buddhist traditions. Paramartha (499-569) is traditionally
credited with amalgamating these philosophies by translating one of
the most influential Tathagatagarbha texts in East Asia, the
Awakening of Faith in Mahayana, and introducing Tathagatagarbha
notions into his translations of Yogacara texts. Engaging with the
digitalized Chinese Buddhist canon, Ching Keng draws on clues from
a long-lost Dunhuang fragment and considers its striking
similarities with Paramartha's corpus with respect to terminology,
style of phrasing, and doctrines. In this cutting-edge
interpretation of the concept of jiexing, Keng demystifies the
image of Paramartha and makes the case that the fragment holds the
key to recover his original teachings.
The study of religions is essential for understanding other
cultures, building a sense of belonging in a multicultural world
and fostering a global intercultural dialogue. Exploring Chinese
religions as one interlocutor in this dialogue, Diana Arghirescu
engages with Song-dynasty Confucian and Buddhist theoretical
developments through a detailed study of the original texts of the
Chan scholar-monk Qisong (1007-1072) and the Neo-Confucian master
Zhu Xi (1130-1200). Starting with these figures, she builds an
interpretive theory focusing on "ethical interrelatedness" and
proposes it as a theoretical tool for the study of the Chinese
religious traditions. By actively engaging with other contemporary
theories of religion and refusing to approach Chinese religions
with Western frameworks, Arghirescu's comparative perspective makes
it possible to uncover differences between the various Western and
Chinese cultural presuppositions upon which these theories are
built. As such, this book breaks new ground in the methodology of
religious studies, comparative philosophy and furthers our
understanding of the Confucian-Buddhist interaction.
Here is a lucid, accessible, and inspiring guide to the six
perfections--Buddhist teachings about six dimensions of human
character that require "perfecting": generosity, morality,
tolerance, energy, meditation, and wisdom. Drawing on the Diamond
Sutra, the Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom, and other essential
Mahayana texts, Dale Wright shows how these teachings were
understood and practiced in classical Mahayana Buddhism and how
they can be adapted to contemporary life in a global society. What
would the perfection of generosity look like today, for example?
What would it mean to give with neither ulterior motives nor
naivete? Devoting a separate chapter to each of the six
perfections, Wright combines sophisticated analysis with real-life
applications. Buddhists have always stressed self-cultivation, the
uniquely human freedom that opens the possibility of shaping the
kind of life we will live and the kind of person we will become.
For those interested in ideals of human character and practices of
self-cultivation, The Six Perfections offers invaluable guidance."
An insightful look at the historical damages early colonizers of
America caused and how their descendants may recognize and heal the
harm done to the earth and the native peoples Inherited Silence
tells the story of beloved land in California's Napa Valley-how the
land fared during the onslaught of colonization and how it fares
now in the drought, development, and wildfires that are the
consequences of the colonial mind. Author Louise Dunlap's ancestors
were among the first Europeans to claim ownership of traditional
lands of the Wappo people during a period of genocide. As settlers,
her ancestors lived the dream of Manifest Destiny, their
consciousness changing only gradually over the generations. When
Dunlap's generation inherited the land, she had already begun to
wonder about its unspoken story. What had kept her ancestors from
seeing and telling the truth of their history? What had they
brought west with them from the very earliest colonial experience
in New England? Dunlap looks back into California's and America's
history for the key to their silences and a way to heal the wounds
of the land, its original people, and the harmful mind of the
colonizer. It's a powerful story that will awaken others to
consider their own ancestors' role in colonization and encourage
them to begin reparations for the harmful actions of those who came
before. More broadly, it offers a way for every reader to evaluate
their own current life actions and the lasting impact they can have
on society and our planet.
Understanding Chinese philosophy requires knowledge of the
referential framework prevailing in Chinese intellectual
traditions. But Chinese philosophical texts are frequently
approached through the lens of Western paradigms. Analysing the
most common misconceptions surrounding Western Sinology, Jana
Rosker alerts us to unseen dangers and introduces us to a new more
effective way of reading Chinese philosophy. Acknowledging that
different cultures produce different reference points, Rosker
explains what happens when we use rational analysis, a major
feature of the European intellectual tradition, to read Chinese
philosophy. We rely on impossible comparisons, arrive at prejudiced
assumptions and fail to arrive at the truth, the consequence of
applying a different methodology to the process of perceiving,
understanding and interpreting reality. Instead of transferring
concepts and categories from Western sinology onto socio-cultural
Chinese contexts, Rosker constructs a new methodology of reading,
understanding and interpreting Chinese philosophy. She opens our
eyes to the basic problems of Western paradigms, encourages
intercultural approaches and allows us to master a more
autochthonous understanding of Chinese philosophy.
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