Asian Philosophies (7^th Ed.)

With an inside view from an expert in the field and a clear and engaging writing style, Asian Philosophies, Seventh Edition invites students and professors to think along with the greatminds of the Asian traditions. Eminent scholar and teacher John M. Koller has devoted hislife to understanding and explaining Asian thought and practice. He wrote this text to givestudents access to the rich philosophical and religious ideas of both South and East Asia.

New to this seventh edition:

• Added material on Confucianism, including focused coverage of (1) the Analects and society and (2) ren and nature;
• Additional information on Theravada Buddhism, Vajrayana Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism as well as new in-depth coverage of ecological attitudes in Buddhism;
• Expanded coverage of ecological attitudes in all of the Asian traditions;
• Brief excerpts from primary sources to help better explain the key concepts;
• Added timelines for essential texts in each tradition;
• Improved Glossary and Pronunciation Guide;
• Additional text boxes, to help students quickly understand key ideas, texts, and concepts;
• Updated Further Reading sections.

CONTENTS

Glossary

Pronunciation Guide

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

PART 1 South Asian Philosophies

South Asian Chronology

South Asian Texts: A Timeline

1. Historical Perspectives

Historical Overview

Dominant Features

Review Questions

Further Reading

2. Vedas and Upanishads

Indus Culture

Vedic Thought

Origins of Existence

The Upanishads

Quest for Brahman

Quest for the Ultimate Self (Atman)

Tat Tvam Asi

Review Questions

Further Reading

3. The Jain Vision

Overview

Mahavira

Karmic Bondage

Reality

Kinds of Karma

Way of Liberation

Knowledge

Faith

Conduct

Impact of Jain Thought

Review Questions

Further Reading

4. Buddhism: The Basic Teachings

Overview

The Buddha

Quest for Enlightenment

Enlightenment

The Buddha’s Teachings

The Noble Fourfold Truth

The First Noble Truth

The Second Noble Truth

The Third Noble Truth

The Fourth Noble Truth: The Eightfold Noble Path

Review Questions

Further Reading

5. Interdependent Arising and the Development of Mahayana

Conditioned Existence

Mindfulness

How to Practice Mindfulness

Perfection of Wisdom and Rise of Mahayana

Reading the Texts

The Diamond Sutra

The Heart Sutra

Review Questions

Further Reading

6. Madhyamaka and Yogacara

Overview of Madhyamaka: The Middle Way Tradition

Nagarjuna’s Method

Yogacara

Nature and Function of Consciousness

Knowledge of Reality

Review Questions

Further Reading

7. Society and the Individual

Bhagavad Gita

Human Aims

Social Classes

Life-Stages

Review Questions

Further Reading

8. Self and the World: Sankhya-Yoga

Overview

Causality

Evolution of the World

Yoga: The Way of Discipline

Forces of Bondage

Techniques of Yoga

Review Questions

Further Reading

9. Knowledge and Reality: Nyaya-Vaisheshika

The Problem of Knowledge

Perceptual Knowledge

Inference

Comparison

Testimony

Objects of Knowledge:

The Vaisheshika Categories

The Knower

Review Questions

Further Reading

10. Self and Reality: Mimamsa and Vedanta

Mimamsa

Vedanta

Shankara’s Nondualism

Appearance and Reality

The Qualified Nondualism of Ramanuja

The Dualistic Vedanta of Madhva

Review Questions

Further Reading

11. Theistic Developments

Vishnu

Krishna

Kali

Shiva

Review Questions

Further Reading

12. Islam

Introduction

Basic Teachings of Islam

Development of Sufi Thought

The Sufi Path

Interaction Between Muslims and Hindus

Religion and Politics

Review Questions

Further Reading

13. Tradition and Modernity

Overview

Gandhi

Aurobindo

Iqbal

Radhakrishnan

Review Questions

Further Reading

PART 2 Philosophies of East Asia

East Asian Chronology

East Asian Texts: A Timeline

14. Historical Overview of East Asian Philosophies

Pre-Confucian China

Confucianism

Daoism

Mohism

School of Names

Philosophy of Change

Legalism

Synthesis

Buddhism

Korean Philosophy

Japanese Philosophy

Neo-Confucianism

Basic Characteristics

Review Questions

Further Reading

15. Yinyang Philosophy in the Book of Changes

History of the Text

Yinyang Way of Thinking

Consulting the Yijing

Influence on Daoism and Confucianism

Contemporary Relevance

Review Questions

Further Reading

16. Confucianism: The Thought of Confucius

Confucius

Human-heartedness (Ren)

Propriety (Li)

Filiality (Xiao)

Rightness (Yi)

Rectification of Names (Zheng Ming)

Governing by Virtue

Review Questions

Further Reading

17. Development of Confucianism: Mengzi, Xunzi, and Dong Zhongshu

Challenges to Confucian Thought

Mengzi

Xunzi

Dong Zhongshu and a New Form of Confucianism

Review Questions

Further Reading

18. Daoism: The Daodejing

Laozi

Nonaction (WUWEI) and Self-So-Ness (Ziran)

The Dao and Its Functions

Dao

Function (de)

Review Questions

Further Reading

19. Zhuangzi’s Daoism

Zhuangzi

Arguments Against Conventional Knowledge

Dao and the Ordinary World

Review Questions

Further Reading

20. Chinese Buddhism

Introduction from Central Asia and India

Translations and Interpretations

Review Questions

Further Reading

21. Neo-Confucianism: The Grand Harmony

The Buddhist Challenge

Neo-Confucian Beginnings

Zhou Dunyi

Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi

Zhu Xi

The Idealism of Lu Xiangshan and Wang Yangming

Wang Yangming

Dai Zhen

Review Questions

Further Reading

22. Korean Philosophy

Introduction

Wonhyo

Chinul

Korean Neo-Confucianism

Yi T’oegye

Yi Yulgok

Review Questions

Further Reading

23. Japanese Philosophy

Overview

Tendai

Pure Land

Zen

Dogen

Indian and Chinese Foundations

Daoist Influences

Aims of Zen

Zazen

Koan Practice

Zen Teachings

Oxherding: Stages of Practice

Review Questions

Further Reading

24. Recent Thought

Kang Youwei

Zhang Dongsun

Xiong Shili

Fung Yu-lan

Nishida Kitaro

Post-Mao Thought

Review Questions

Further Reading

Notes

Index

John M. Koller is Professor Emeritus at Rensselaer Polytechnic University, USA, where he taught for forty years. He received his Ph.D. in Indian Philosophy from the University of Hawaii, and did postgraduate work at Visva-Bharati and Banaras Hindu Universities in India. He is the author of The Indian Way (1982, 2004) and A Sourcebook in AsianPhilosophy (1991).