|
Books > Philosophy > Non-Western philosophy > Oriental & Indian philosophy
The Classic of Changes (Yi jing) is one of the most ancient texts
known to human civilization, always given pride of place in the
Chinese classical tradition. And yet the powerful fascination
exerted by the Classic of Changes has preserved the archaic text,
widely attracting readers with a continuing interest in trying to
understand it as a source of reflection and guide to ordinary
circumstances of human life. Its monumental influence over Chinese
thought makes the text an indispensable element in any informed
approach to Chinese culture.Accordingly, the book focuses on the
archaic core of the Classic of Changes and proposes a structural
anthropological analysis for two main reasons. First, unlike many
treatments of the Yi jing, there is a concern to place the text
carefully in the context of the ancient culture
Brimming with mythical imagination, poetic sallies, and often
ferociously witty remarks, the Zhuangzi is one of China’s
greatest literary and philosophical masterpieces. Yet the
complexities of this classical text can make it a challenging read.
This English translation leads you confidently through the comic
scenes and virtuoso writing style, introducing all the little
stories Zhuangzi invented and unpicking its philosophical insights
through close commentaries and helpful asides. Romain Graziani
opens up the text as never before, showing how Zhuangzi uses the
stories as an answer to Mencius’s conception of sacrifice and
self-cultivation, restoring the critical interplay with
Confucius’ Analects, and guiding you through the themes of the
animal world, sacrifice, political violence, meditation, illness,
and death. In Graziani’s translation, the co-founder of Taoism
emerges as a remarkable thinker: a dedicated disparager of moral
virtues who stubbornly resists any form of allegiance to social
norms and the only Warring States figure to improvise with the
darkest irony on the weaknesses of men and their docile
subservience to the unquestioned authority of language. For anyone
coming to Chinese philosophy or the Zhuangzi for the first time,
this introduction and translation is a must-read, one that reminds
us of the importance of thinking beyond our limited, everyday
perspectives.
This is the first book-length study of the thought of Sri Chinmoy
(1931-2007), who became well known during his lifetime as the
exponent of a dynamic spirituality of integral transformation,
which he set forth in an extensive body of writings in both prose
and poetry, mostly in English but also in his native Bengali. He
held that all fields of human endeavor can be venues of spiritual
transformation when founded in aspiration and contemplative
practice. He is noted not only as a spiritual teacher but also as
an advocate of peace, a composer and musician, an artist and a
sportsman who created innovative programs promoting
self-transcendence and understanding between people of all cultures
and walks of life. This study of Sri Chinmoy's philosophy refers to
these diverse activities, especially in the biographical first
chapter, but is mainly based on his written works. The book's aim
is to give to the reader a straightforward and unembroidered
account of Sri Chinmoy's philosophy. It makes every attempt to
allow Sri Chinmoy to speak for himself in his own words, and thus
provides ample quotation and draws on his poetic works as much as
on his other writings.
1) This is a comprehensive book presenting the political thoughts
of prominent Indian thinkers like Ambedkar, Nehru, Gandhi, Lohia
etc. 2) Written by experts in the field it discusses concepts like
nationalism, secularism, social and gender justice etc. 3) This
book will be of interest to departments of South Asian studies
across UK and USA.
Pamela D. Winfield offers a fascinating juxtaposition and
comparison of the thoughts of two pre-modern Japanese Buddhist
masters on the role of imagery in the enlightenment experience.
Kukai (774-835) believed that real and imagined forms were
indispensable to his new esoteric Mikkyo method for ''becoming a
Buddha in this very body'' (sokushin jobutsu), yet he deconstructed
the significance of such imagery in his poetic and doctrinal works.
Conversely, Dogen (1200-1253) believed that ''just sitting'' in Zen
meditation without any visual props or mental elaborations could
lead one to realize that ''this very mind is Buddha'' (sokushin
zebutsu), but he too privileged select Zen icons as worthy of
veneration. In considering the nuanced views of Kukai and Dogen,
Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism updates previous
comparisons of their oeuvres and engages their texts and images
together for the first time in two decades. Winfield liberates them
from sectarian scholarship, which has long pigeon-holed them into
iconographic/ritual vs. philological/philosophical categories, and
restores the historical symbiosis between religious thought and
artistic expression that was lost in the nineteenth-century
disciplinary distinction between religious studies and art history.
Winfield breaks new methodological ground by proposing space and
time as organizing principles for analyzing both meditative
experience as well as visual/material culture and presents a wider
vision of how Japanese Buddhists themselves understood the role of
imagery before, during, and after awakening.
This book examines the theory of consciousness developed by the
school of Recognition, an Indian philosophical tradition that
thrived around the tenth c. CE in Kashmir, and argues that
consciousness has a linguistic nature. It situates the doctrines of
the tradition within the broader Indian philosophical context and
establishes connections with the contemporary analytic debate. The
book focuses on Utpaladeva and Abhinavagupta (tenth c. CE), two
Hindu intellectuals belonging to the school of Recognition,
Pratyabhijñā in Sanskrit. It argues that these authors promoted
ideas that bear a strong resemblance with contemporary
‘higher–order theories’ of consciousness. In addition, the
book explores the relationship between the thinkers of the school
of Recognition and the thought of the grammarian/philosopher
Bhartṛhari (fifth c. CE). The book bridges a gap that still
exists between scholars engaged with Western traditions and
Sanskrit specialists focused on textual materials. In doing so, the
author uses concepts from contemporary philosophy of mind to
illustrate the Indian arguments and an interdisciplinary approach
with abundant reference to the original sources. Offering fresh
information to historians of Indian thought, the book will also be
of interest to academics working on Non-Western Philosophy,
Comparative Philosophy, Indian Philosophy, Religion, Hinduism,
Tantric Studies and South Asian Studies.
For its extensive research and novel interpretations, Dasan's Noneo
gogeum ju (Old and New Commentaries of the Analects) is considered
in Korean Studies a crystallization of Dasan's study of the
Confucian classics. Dasan (Jeong Yak-yong: 1762-1836) attempted to
synthesize and supersede the lengthy scholarly tradition of the
classical studies of the Analects, leading to work that not only
proved to be one of the greatest achievements of Korean
Confucianism but also definitively demonstrated innovative
prospects for the study of Confucian philosophy. It is one of the
most groundbreaking works among all Confucian legacies in East
Asia. Originally consisting of forty volumes in traditional
bookbinding, Noneo gogeum ju contains one hundred and seventy-five
new interpretations on the Analects, hundreds of arguments about
the neo-Confucian commentaries on the Analects, hundreds of
references to scholarly works on the Analects, thousands of
supporting quotations from various East Asian classics for the
author's arguments, and hundreds of philological discussions. This
book is the fourth volume of an English translation of Noneo gogeum
ju and includes the translator's comments on the innovative ideas
and interpretations of Dasan's commentaries.
This volume is a systematic and comprehensive introduction to one
of the most read texts in South Asia, the Bhagavad-gita. The
Bhagavad-gita is at its core a religious text, a philosophical
treatise and a literary work, which has occupied an authoritative
position within Hinduism for the past millennium. This book brings
together themes central to the study of the Gita, as it is
popularly known - such as the Bhagavad-gita's structure, the
history of its exegesis, its acceptance by different traditions
within Hinduism and its national and global relevance. It
highlights the richness of the Gita's interpretations, examines its
great interpretive flexibility and at the same time offers a
conceptual structure based on a traditional commentarial tradition.
With contributions from major scholars across the world, this book
will be indispensable for scholars and researchers of religious
studies, especially Hinduism, Indian philosophy, Asian philosophy,
Indian history, literature and South Asian studies.
Confucian and Stoic Perspectives on Forgiveness explores the
absence of forgiveness in classical Confucianism and Roman Stoicism
as well as the alternatives to forgiveness that these rich
philosophical traditions offer. After discussing forgiveness as it
is understood in contemporary philosophy, Sean McAleer explores
Confucius' vocabulary for and attitude toward anger and resentment,
arguing that Confucius does not object to anger but to its
excesses. While Confucius does not make room for forgiveness,
McAleer argues that Mencius cannot do so, given the distinctive
twist he gives to self-examination in response to mistreatment.
Xunzi, by contrast, leaves open a door to forgiveness that Mencius
bolted shut. The book then proceeds to the Roman Stoics-Musonius
Rufus, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca-arguing that their
distinctive conceptions of value and wellbeing rule out
forgiveness, though like the Confucians the Stoics offer
alternatives to forgiveness well worth considering. The book ends
by comparing the two traditions, arguing that while Stoicism helps
us navigate many of the turbulent waters of everyday life,
Confucianism enjoys advantages when we interact with those to whom
we are bound by ties of affection and intimacy.
A new edition of the multi-million
bestselling global phenomenon Ikigai for the personal development market
Find purpose, meaning and joy in your work and life
We all have an ikigai. It's the Japanese word for 'a reason to live' or
'a reason to jump out of bed in the morning'. The place where your
needs, ambitions, skills and satisfaction meet. A place of balance.
This book will help you unlock what your ikigai is and equip you to
change your life. There is a passion inside you - a unique talent that
gives you purpose and makes you the perfect candidate for something.
All you have to do is discover and live it.
Do that, and you can make every single day of your life joyful and
meaningful.
Why did some Buddhist translators in China interpolate terms
designating an agent which did not appear in the original texts?
The Chinese made use of raw material imported from India; however,
they added some seasoningsA" peculiar to China and developed their
own recipesA" about how to construct the ideas of Buddhism. While
Indian Buddhists constructed their ideas of self by means of
empiricism, anti-Brahmanism and analytic reasoning, the Chinese
Buddhists constructed their ideas of self by means of non-analytic
insights, utilising pre-established epistemology and cosmogony.
Furthermore, many of the basic renderings had specific implications
that were peculiar to China. For example, while shen in
philosophical Daoism originally signified an agent of thought,
which disintegrates after bodily death, Buddhists added to it the
property of permanent existence. Since many Buddhists in China read
the reinterpreted term shen with the implications of the
established epistemology and cosmogony, they came to develop their
own ideas of self. After the late 6C, highly educated Buddhist
theorists came to avoid including the idea of an imperishable soul
in their doctrinal system. However, the idea of a permanent agent
of perception remained vividly alive even during the development of
Chinese Buddhism after the 7C.
While it seeks neither to define Zen nor answer its most famous
koan ("What is the sound of one hand clapping?"), The Little Book
of Zen points to a calming way of looking at the world. Each page
features a quote, phrase, story, koan, haiku, or poem, interspersed
with essays on the Buddha, Zen arts, significant masters, and more.
The feeling is that of a meditation book with 2,500 years of wisdom
- from Lao-tzu to Lily Tomlin. It's a celebration of intuition: "If
a man wishes to be sure of the road he treads on, he must close his
eyes and walk in the dark." - St. John the Cross. Individuality:
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek
what they sought." - Basho. And self-discovery: "We already have
everything we need." - Pema Cho dro n. New material is taken from
contemporary spiritual leaders, writers, meditation teachers, and
others with an emphasis on the practice of mindfulness - on the
heart, rather than the head. Pen and ink illustrations from the
author bring an additional layer of feeling and beauty.
The ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius compared children to tender
sprouts. Like sprouts, a child's character, tendencies, virtues and
vices are observable, and ever-changing. A practical parenting
manual, philosophical reflection on the relationship between parent
and child, and necessary response to modern stereotypes of Chinese
parenting, Little Sprouts reconsiders cultural definitions of
success and explores how we might support and nourish young people.
Engaging deeply with foundational Daoist and Confucian thinkers,
Erin Cline offers accessible, provocative musings on key parenting
issues and helps us grow into better parents of joyful, fulfilled
children.
This book is one of the first to present a definitive history of
the Christian Ashram Movement. It offers insights into the
development of the Movement, Europe's Orientalist view of Eastern
mysticism and how the concept of the "ashram" spread beyond the
borders of India. Drawing extensively from ashram literature and
the author's field research, the book critically analyzes the
notions of inculturation in the encounter between Christianity and
Hindu spirituality and ritualism. It looks at how the Movement grew
out of the colonial encounter and how it evolved through the years,
which was contingent on developments within Christian churches
outside India. The volume also discusses the reinterpretation of
the idea of the "ashram" by Christian theologians, the introduction
of elite Brahmanical concepts within the Movement and the unique
theological perspectives which were nurtured in these ashrams. The
book offers an alternative perspective to the generally perceived
history of Christianity in India. It will be of interest to
scholars and researchers of religious studies, Christianity,
sociology, social anthropology and religious history.
This book is an analysis of the philosophical chapters of the
Tattvarthadhigama (TA), a foundational text for the Jaina tradition
and the first text that presented the Jaina worldview in a clear
and systematic way. The book also includes the first English
translation of its oldest commentary, the Tattvarthadhigamabhasya
(TABh). Focusing on the philosophical sections of the TA and TABh,
which deviate from the traditional views and introduce several new
concepts for the Jaina tradition, the analysis suggests that the TA
and the TABh were written by different authors, and that both texts
contain several historical layers. The texts reflect aspects of the
concurrent intellectual movements, and the textual analysis
includes comparisons with the views of other schools, such as the
Nyaya and Vaisesika traditions, and offers an in-depth analysis of
the philosophical content of these works. The appendix contains an
English translation from the original Sanskrit text of the TA and
provides the first English translation of the commentary on these
passages from the TABh. Situating the text in the wider history of
Indian philosophy, the book offers a better understanding of the
role of the Jainas in the history of Indian thought. It will be of
interest to those studying Indian philosophy, Indian thought and
Asian Religions.
|
You may like...
On Liberty
John Stuart Mill
Paperback
R488
Discovery Miles 4 880
|