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Books > Philosophy > Non-Western philosophy > Oriental & Indian philosophy
'The task of the benevolent person is surely to diligently seek to promote the benefit of the world and eliminate harm to the world' The Mozi is among the founding texts of the Chinese philosophical tradition, presenting China's earliest ethical, political, and logical theories. The collected works introduce concepts, assumptions, and issues that had a profound, lasting influence throughout the classical and early imperial eras. Mozi and his followers developed the world's first ethical theory, and presented China's first account of the origin of political authority from a state of nature. They were prominent social activists whose moral and political reform movement sought to improve the welfare of the common people and eliminate elite extravagance and misuse of power. In this new translation, Chris Fraser focuses on the philosophical aspects of the writing and allows readers to truly enter the Mohists' world of thought. This abridged edition includes the essential political and social topics of concern to this vital movement. Informed by traditional and recent scholarship, the translation presents the Mohists' ideas and arguments clearly, precisely, and coherently, while accurately reflecting the meaning, terminology, and style of the original.
A new critical approach to cinema and media based on Buddhism as a philosophical discourse How can a philosophical discourse generated in Asia help us reframe and renew cinema and media theory? Cinema Illuminating Reality provides a possible way to do this by using Buddhist ideas to examine the intricate relationship between technicity and consciousness in the cinema. The resulting dialogue between Buddhism and Euro-American philosophy is the first of its kind in film and media studies. Victor Fan examines cinema's ontology and ontogenetic formation and how such a formational process produces knowledge, political agency, and in-aesthetics. Buddhism allows Fan to deconstruct binary thinking and reimagine media as an ecology, rethinking cinema in relational terms between the human and the machine. Along the way, Fan considers a wide variety of case studies from around the globe, while paying special attention to how contemporary Tibeto-Sinophone filmmakers have adopted relational thinking to detail ways of rebuilding a world that appears to be beyond repair. From Chinese queer cinema to a reexamination of Japanese master Ozu's work and its historical reception to Christian Petzold's 2018 existential thriller Transit, CinemaIlluminating Reality forges a remarkable path between Buddhist studies and cinema studies, casting vital new light on both of these important subjects.
Since its first publication in 1992, this book has become a curious classic, taking a simple (yet often incorrectly performed) activity and depicting it with a graphic, manga-style edge. In twelve drawings a young Japanese man is shown preparing, rinsing, soaking, communing, relaxing, contemplating-all an encouragement to readers to slow down, ease into the hot water, and enjoy this timeless ritual of purity and release.
"Chinese philosophy before our Christian era is emphasized in this
nontechnical summary of Chinese thought. Professor Creel also deals
with Confucianism, the ideas of Mo-tsu and Mencius, Taoism,
Legalism, and their variations and adaptations. As an introduction
for the general reader, this book stands among the best."--"China:
A Resource and Curriculum Guide"
EASTERN RELIGION / HINDUISMThe Spandakarika, or "Song of the Sacred Tremor," is one of the most important Tantric texts in the tradition of Kashmiri Shaivism. In fact, it is said to have been transmitted directly to the sage Vasugupta from the hands of Shiva on Mount Kailas. In his commentary on these fifty-two stanzas, the sage Ksemaraja described them as the heart of the Mahamudra, the Great Cosmic Gesture. In Yoga Spandakarika Daniel Odier presents a full translation of the song accompanied by his own commentary and the commentary of more than thirty Tantric masters.The oldest masters of Spandakarika viewed everything in the universe, including matter, as consciousness and created a yoga practice in accordance with this realization. The sacred dance of Yoga Spandakarika, Tandava, is extremely subtle and difficult, requiring thousands of hours of practice to master, yet it surpasses any other physical practice, allowing the practitioner to touch the divine inner pulse. Once its third stage has been mastered, the yogi or yogini is able to manifest the dance of Shiva in space, a tradition visible in the statuary of Tantric temples in India and Tibet. Energy is no longer contracted by the perception of duality, and the mind and body become unbounded, forming a sphere that contains all that was formerly outside. In Yoga Spandakarika Daniel Odier passes on these vanishing teachings as he received them from his Tibetan master, Kalu Rinpoche, and Kashmiri yogini Lalita Devi. In addition to his translation of the Spandakarika, Odier includes a complete translation of the Vijnanabhairava Tantra, the oldest source text on yoga.DANIEL ODIER began his studies with Kalu Rinpoche in 1968 andremained a disciple of the master until his passing in 1989. In 2004 Odier received the Ch'an ordination in the Lin t'si and Caodong schools in China as well as the transmission of the Zhao Zhou Ch'an lineage in the Xu Yun (Empty Cloud) tradition. He gives workshops in Europe, Canada, and the United States and is the author of Meditation Techniques of the Buddhist and Taoist Masters, Desire: The Tantric Path to Awakening, and Tantric Quest. He lives in Paris.
Wisdom in Exile provides a new insight into Buddhism's encounter with Western culture and the Western mind in the early 21st century. Jampa Thaye has trained for over 40 years with some of the foremost lamas of Tibetan Buddhism, yet is a Westerner, living in Britain, teaching Buddhism to students throughout Europe and North America. He draws on that knowledge and experience to explain the space that now exists for Buddhism in the West, and identifies critical conflicts and tensions that must be resolved for modern Westerners to grasp the essence of the Buddhist teachings. The book culminates with detailed instructions in the meditation system of 'The Four Immeasurables', allowing the reader to properly orientate themselves within the world of Buddhism and learn how to practice. "Wisdom in Exile proposes a fresh approach to Buddhism, one in which the fundamental tenets of the Buddha's teachings are rediscovered." His Holiness Sakya Trichen, 41st Head of the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism
Advaita is a spiritual philosophy based on the Upanishads, older than most other religious systems we know about but also the most logical and scientific in its approach. The literal meaning is "Not two". There is only one truth - but, it has to be said, there are many teachers. So how is a "seeker" to choose between them? This book is a systematic treatment of Advaita which demystifies it, differentiating between approaches and teachers, enabling you to decide which approach is most suitable for you. It compares the scriptures of traditional Advaita with the words of contemporary sages and neo-Advaita. Should we ignore the mind? Is the world real? Is there anything we can do to become "enlightened"? These questions and many more are addressed, with explanations given in their own words from those who discovered the truth. This is a massively comprehensive, definitive work.
To understand China, it is essential to understand Confucianism.
First formulated in the sixth century BCE, the teachings of
Confucius would come to dominate Chinese society, politics,
economics, and ethics. In this Very Short Introduction, Daniel K.
Gardner explores the major philosophical ideas of the Confucian
tradition, showing their profound impact on state ideology and
imperial government, the civil service examination system, domestic
life, and social relations over the course of twenty-six centuries.
Gardner focuses on two of the Sage's most crucial philosophical
problems-what makes for a good person, and what constitutes good
government-and demonstrates the enduring significance of these
questions today.
This pivot focuses on "the concept of edification" in a bid to systematically expound its connotative structure and logical evolution. It is divided into ten chapters, embracing various issues, such as human nature as the foundation of edification, the development of edification and cultivation, the evolution of edification and the resultant life based on ritual and music, the political orientation and ultimate care of edification, and the nurturing of social edification, in an effort to offer a panoramic view of the intellectual features of Confucianism, and consequently a profound reflection on the cultural consciousness of contemporary China. The book is expected to satisfy the needs for a better understanding of edification as a Confucian concept, and the conceptual features of Chinese philosophy, or rather, Confucianism.
This book is the first to describe the development of Halevi's thought with a view to reaching a better understanding of its inherent systematic difficulties, as well as enabling identification of the various strata of the book belonging to different periods in his philosophical development.
This is the first complete, one-volume English translation of the ancient Chinese text Xunzi, one of the most extensive, sophisticated, and elegant works in the tradition of Confucian thought. Through essays, poetry, dialogues, and anecdotes, the Xunzi presents a more systematic vision of the Confucian ideal than the fragmented sayings of Confucius and Mencius, articulating a Confucian perspective on ethics, politics, warfare, language, psychology, human nature, ritual, and music, among other topics. Aimed at general readers and students of Chinese thought, Eric Hutton's translation makes the full text of this important work more accessible in English than ever before. Named for its purported author, the Xunzi (literally, "Master Xun") has long been neglected compared to works such as the Analects of Confucius and the Mencius. Yet interest in the Xunzi has grown in recent decades, and the text presents a much more systematic vision of the Confucian ideal than the fragmented sayings of Confucius and Mencius. In one famous, explicit contrast to them, the Xunzi argues that human nature is bad. However, it also allows that people can become good through rituals and institutions established by earlier sages. Indeed, the main purpose of the Xunzi is to urge people to become as good as possible, both for their own sakes and for the sake of peace and order in the world. In this edition, key terms are consistently translated to aid understanding and line numbers are provided for easy reference. Other features include a concise introduction, a timeline of early Chinese history, a list of important names and terms, cross-references, brief explanatory notes, a bibliography, and an index.
In essence, evolution is the progressive emergence of higher levels of consciousness. With the appearance of man, evolution has become an increasingly more conscious and accelerated process, in contrast to the pre-human stages. Inner growth is the rapid process of conscious evolution.
The basic writings of Chuang Tzu have been savored by Chinese readers for over two thousand years. And Burton Watson's lucid and beautiful translation has been loved by generations of readers. Chuang Tzu (369?-286? B.C.) was a leading philosopher representing the Taoist strain in Chinese thought. Using parable and anecdote, allegory and paradox, he set forth, in the book that bears his name, the early ideas of what was to become the Taoist school. Central to these is the belief that only by understanding Tao (the Way of Nature) and dwelling in its unity can man achieve true happiness and freedom, in both life and death. "Chuang Tzu: Basic Writings" includes the seven "inner chapters," which form the heart of the book, three of the "outer chapters," and one of the "miscellaneous chapters." Watson also provides an introduction, placing the philosopher in relation to Chinese history and thought. Witty and imaginative, enriched by brilliant imagery, and making sportive use of both mythological and historical personages (including even Confucius), this timeless classic is sure to appeal to anyone interested in Chinese religion and culture.
Ideal for students and scholars alike, this edition of Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) includes the complete Inner Chapters, extensive selections from the Outer and Miscellaneous Chapters, and judicious selections from two thousand years of traditional Chinese commentaries, which provide the reader access to the text as well as to its reception and interpretation. A glossary, brief biographies of the commentators, a bibliography, and an index are also included.
This highly original work introduces the ideas and arguments of the ancient Chinese philosophies of Confucianism and Daoism to some of the most intractable social issues of modern American life, including abortion, gay marriage, and assisted suicide. Introduces the precepts of ancient Chinese philosophers to issues they could not have anticipated Relates Daoist and Confucian ideas to problems across the arc of modern human life, from birth to death Provides general readers with a fascinating introduction to Chinese philosophy, and its continued relevance Offers a fresh perspective on highly controversial American debates, including abortion, stem cell research, and assisted suicide
From the foremost living authority on Yoga comes the most comprehensive and reliable treatment of the subject available today. This is a work of impeccable scholarship by a person who has dedicated his life to the understanding and practice of yoga. The book offers a complete overview of every Yogic tradition, from the familiar to the lesser-known forms. It also covers all aspects of Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina Yoga, including history, philosophy, literature, psychology and practice. In addition, included are translations of twenty Yoga treatises and the first translation of the Goraksha Paddhati.
Constant self-blame for past mistakes, setbacks, or failures and being unable to forgive others for the pain and hardship they have caused us are inner pains which we may not easily be able to overcome. But with the power of enlightenment, which author Ryuho Okawa explains in a modern and easy-to-understand language, we can learn to forgive ourselves as well as others, solve any problems in life and courageously open up a brighter future. In this powerful book, Okawa explains how to govern our own minds and regain our true selves as spiritual beings. According to the author, our mind can be attuned to the great universe and we can become one with the Great Being through the practices of self reflection, meditation and prayer. In this way we can enjoy a free and peaceful state of mind in any given circumstance. This book also emphasizes the importance of balancing the cultivation of spirituality and worldly skills, so we can strengthen the power of our influence to bring happiness to many. By reading this book, you will be able to find positive and profound meaning in your life and play a proactive role in creating a better world.
Outlines the basic physical exercises, mental disciplines, and ethical commitments of raja yoga |
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