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 great minds of the Asian traditions. Eminent scholar and teacher John M. Koller has devoted his life to understanding and explaining Asian thought and practice. He wrote this text to give students 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.
By:
John M. Koller
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: 7th edition
Dimensions:
Height: 235mm,
Width: 187mm,
Weight: 782g
ISBN: 9781138629721
ISBN 10: 1138629723
Pages: 396
Publication Date: 07 February 2018
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
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 Asian Philosophy (1991).
Reviews for Asian Philosophies
Both a terrific read and a revolutionary contribution to our understanding of the Valmiki Ramayana-and of the many Ramayanas that followed. The translation is smooth, spirited, and accurate, and the seven essays brilliantly illuminate the text. Together they show why this largely unknown final book of the Ramayana is the answer to many of the enigmas in the rest of the text and the explanation of much of the worship of Rama that is to come. -- Wendy Doniger, University of Chicago No one has written with greater empathy about the Ramayana and about Rama than Arshia Sattar. In her translation and study of the epic's final book, she gets to the heart of the Ramayana dynamics as they come to their elegiac, contradictory, and transcendent conclusion. Her exploration of the sociopolitical, literary, and religious signifiers in the conclusion of India's preeminent romantic legend is both accessible and illuminating. Just as the Uttara is a discursive epilogue to the Ramayana itself, so Sattar's essays are a satisfying and stimulating coda to her vigorous translation of the text. -- David Gitomer, DePaul University Arshia Sattar's lively and accessible new translation brings life to the often-overlooked but crucial final volume of Valmiki's epic. This illuminating kanda portrays the history of Ravana, Hanuman's mischievous childhood exploits, and two of the most controversial episodes in the entire epic. Sattar's introductory essays provide readers with a cogent framework to appreciate and analyze the subtleties of the story. -- Paula Richman, Oberlin College