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Books > Philosophy > Non-Western philosophy > Oriental & Indian philosophy
Christian theologians have for some decades affirmed that they have
no monopoly on encounters with God or ultimate reality and that
other religions also have access to religious truth and
transformation. If that is the case, the time has come for
Christians not only to learn about but also from their religious
neighbors. Circling the Elephant affirms that the best way to be
truly open to the mystery of the infinite is to move away from
defensive postures of religious isolationism and self-sufficiency
and to move, in vulnerability and openness, toward the mystery of
the neighbor. Employing the ancient Indian allegory of the elephant
and blind(folded) men, John J. Thatamanil argues for the
integration of three often-separated theological projects:
theologies of religious diversity (the work of accounting for why
there are so many different understandings of the elephant),
comparative theology (the venture of walking over to a different
side of the elephant), and constructive theology (the endeavor of
re-describing the elephant in light of the other two tasks).
Circling the Elephant also offers an analysis of why we have fallen
short in the past. Interreligious learning has been obstructed by
problematic ideas about "religion" and "religions," Thatamanil
argues, while also pointing out the troubling resonances between
reified notions of "religion" and "race." He contests these notions
and offers a new theory of the religious that makes interreligious
learning both possible and desirable. Christians have much to learn
from their religious neighbors, even about such central features of
Christian theology as Christ and the Trinity. This book envisions
religious diversity as a promise, not a problem, and proposes a new
theology of religious diversity that opens the door to robust
interreligious learning and Christian transformation through
encountering the other.
The importance of the rich corpus of "Masters Literature" that
developed in early China since the fifth century BCE has long been
recognized. But just what are these texts? Scholars have often
approached them as philosophy, but these writings have also been
studied as literature, history, and anthropological, religious, and
paleographic records. How should we translate these texts for our
times? This book explores these questions through close readings of
seven examples of Masters Literature and asks what proponents of a
"Chinese philosophy" gained by creating a Chinese equivalent of
philosophy and what we might gain by approaching these texts
through other disciplines, questions, and concerns. What happens
when we remove the accrued disciplinary and conceptual baggage from
the Masters Texts? What neglected problems, concepts, and
strategies come to light? And can those concepts and strategies
help us see the history of philosophy in a different light and
engender new approaches to philosophical and intellectual inquiry?
By historicizing the notion of Chinese philosophy, we can, the
author contends, answer not only the question of whether there is a
Chinese philosophy but also the more interesting question of the
future of philosophical thought around the world.
SPIRITUALITY / POETRY"Hafez has no peer." Goethe "Hafez fears
nothing. He sees too far; he sees throughout; such is the only man
I wish to see or be." Ralph Waldo Emerson "The unity of spirit and
mind is the legacy of Hafez." Nietzsche For six hundred years the
Persian poet Hafez has been read, recited, quoted, and loved by
millions of people in his homeland and throughout the world. In
Hafez: Teachings of the Philosopher of Love new contemporary
translations by one of the leading scholars of Hafez connect this
traditional spiritual and philosophical wisdom to a modern vision
of the world. The book includes over thirty complete poems by
Hafez, accompanied by commentary from the authors on the meanings
and contexts of the poetry and philosophies of this spiritual
teacher. Authors Haleh Pourafzal and Roger Montgomery show how the
visionary poet Hafez--whose work inspired Goethe, Nietzsche, and
Ralph Waldo Emerson--can serve as an ideal source of inner renewal
in our often troubled world, as well as a bridge between the West
and Middle East, two cultures in desperate need of mutual empathy.
HALEH POURAFZAL (1956-2002) was the daughter of Abdol-Hossein
Pourafzal, a lifelong student of Persian linguistics and direct
descendant of the creator of the contemporary Farsi prose form.
Haleh grew up tuned to the spirit of the great poet during her
childhood in Tehran, where her father would perform daily
recitations of Hafez's poetry. She drew upon her father's expertise
in developing her own interpretations of the poet's verse. From the
moment Haleh introduced her husband, ROGER MONTGOMERY, to the
poetry of Hafez, they shared a deep love and respect for his work.
It was in the spirit of gaining agreater understanding of this
great poet, sage, and philosopher that this book was born.
Montgomery is also the author of Twenty Count: Secret Mathematical
System of the Aztec/Maya and lives in Berkeley, California.
As the People's Republic's seemingly inexorable rise to economic
and military power continues, never has the need for a better grasp
of Chinese strategic thought by the West been more acute. In
Deciphering Sun Tzu, Derek Yuen seeks to reclaim for the reader the
hidden contours and lost Chinese and Taoist contexts of Sun Tzu's
renowned treatise The Art of War, a literary classic and arguably
one of the most influential books ever written. He also explains
its historical, philosophical, strategic, and cross-cultural
significance.
His comprehensive analysis of Sun Tzu, based on a close reading of
the Chinese sources, also reconstructs the philosophy, Taoist
methodology and worldview that effectively form the cornerstones of
Chinese strategic thinking, which are arguably as relevant today as
at any moment in history.
Yuen's innovative reading and analysis of Sun Tzu within and from a
Chinese context is a new way of approaching the strategic master's
main concepts, which he compares with those of Clausewitz,
Liddell-Hart and other Western strategists.
Deciphering Sun Tzu offers illuminating analysis and
contextualization of The Art of War in a manner that has long been
sought by Western readers and opens new means of getting to grips
with Chinese strategic thought.
A renowned philosopher of the mind, also known for his
groundbreaking work on Buddhism and cognitive science, Evan
Thompson combines the latest neuroscience research on sleep,
dreaming, and meditation with Indian and Western philosophy of
mind, casting new light on the self and its relation to the brain.
Thompson shows how the self is a changing process, not a static
thing. When we are awake we identify with our body, but if we let
our mind wander or daydream, we project a mentally imagined self
into the remembered past or anticipated future. As we fall asleep,
the impression of being a bounded self distinct from the world
dissolves, but the self reappears in the dream state. If we have a
lucid dream, we no longer identify only with the self within the
dream. Our sense of self now includes our dreaming self, the "I" as
dreamer. Finally, as we meditate-either in the waking state or in a
lucid dream-we can observe whatever images or thoughts arise and
how we tend to identify with them as "me." We can also experience
sheer awareness itself, distinct from the changing contents that
make up our image of the self. Contemplative traditions say that we
can learn to let go of the self, so that when we die we can witness
its dissolution with equanimity. Thompson weaves together
neuroscience, philosophy, and personal narrative to depict these
transformations, adding uncommon depth to life's profound
questions. Contemplative experience comes to illuminate scientific
findings, and scientific evidence enriches the vast knowledge
acquired by contemplatives.
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Philo of Alexandria
(Paperback)
Jean Danielou; Translated by James G. Colbert
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R636
R508
Discovery Miles 5 080
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Symposium
(Hardcover)
Plato; Translated by Benjamin Jowett
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R679
Discovery Miles 6 790
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Symposium
(Paperback)
Plato; Translated by Benjamin Jowett
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R257
Discovery Miles 2 570
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The Analects, or "Selected Sayings"), also known as the Analects of
Confucius, is the collection of sayings and ideas attributed to the
Chinese philosopher Confucius and his contemporaries, traditionally
believed to have been written by Confucius' followers. It is
believed to have been written during the Warring States period (475
BC-221 BC), and it achieved its final form during the mid-Han
dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). Confucius believed that the welfare of a
country depended on the moral cultivation of its people, beginning
from the nation's leadership. He believed that individuals could
begin to cultivate an all-encompassing sense of virtue through ren,
and that the most basic step to cultivating ren was devotion to
one's parents and older siblings.
Steve Coutinho explores in detail the fundamental concepts of
Daoist thought as represented in three early texts: the Laozi, the
Zhuangzi, and the Liezi. Readers interested in philosophy yet
unfamiliar with Daoism will gain a comprehensive understanding of
these works from this analysis, and readers fascinated by ancient
China who also wish to grasp its philosophical foundations will
appreciate the clarity and depth of Coutinho's explanations.
Coutinho writes a volume for all readers, whether or not they have
a background in philosophy or Chinese studies. A work of
comparative philosophy, this volume also integrates the concepts
and methods of contemporary philosophical discourse into a
discussion of early Chinese thought. The resulting dialogue relates
ancient Chinese thought to contemporary philosophical issues and
uses modern Western ideas and approaches to throw new interpretive
light on classical texts. Rather than function as historical
curiosities, these works act as living philosophies in conversation
with contemporary thought and experience. Coutinho respects the
multiplicity of Daoist philosophies while also revealing a
distinctive philosophical sensibility, and he provides clear
explanations of these complex texts without resorting to
oversimplification.
Written over a century ago when Japan was abandoning its rich
traditions to embrace the hysteria of colonization, this classic
written by Okakura Kakuzo helped preserve the masterpieces of
Japanese art and culture by illuminating the spirit of the Japanese
Tea Masters. The Book of Tea doesn't focus on the Tea Ceremony
itself, but the Zen Buddhist thought behind it known as the Way of
Tea or Chado. Kakuzo teaches us to listen to the language of
flowers as well as the language of art. His considerable charm is
as apparent today as it was one hundred years ago as he introduces
us to the aesthetic and culture of Japan. This edition has a new
foreword by Andrew Juniper who runs the Wabi-Sabi Art Gallery in
West Sussex, England and an introduction by Liza Dalby, the first
American woman to be fully trained as a geisha in the 70's.
"Even if a man has no natural ability he can be a warrior by
sticking assiduously to both divisions of the Way. Generally
speaking, the Way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death.
Although not only warriors but priests, women, peasants and lowlier
folk have been known to die readily in the cause of duty or out of
shame, this is a different thing. The warrior is different in that
studying the Way of Strategy is based on overcoming men. By victory
gained in crossing swords with individuals, or enjoining battle
with large numbers, we can attain power and fame for ourselves or
our lord. This is the virtue of strategy." - Miyamoto
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