A group blog of scholars exploring Indian philosophy
My thanks to Dr. Satyan Sharma for carefully considering my paper and for reaching out to discuss the analysis of saṃskāras, vāsanās, and karmāśayas in the Yogaśāstra (YŚ).[1] I find this discussion especially important, because it challenges the widespread assumption Continue reading Against Karma as Habits of Action: A Reply to Satyan Sharma
My last two posts focused on some of the considerations that the dharmasūtra authors cite in support of the householder āśrama. As I mentioned, the householder’s payment of the three debts is central to these considerations. In this post, I Continue reading Three Debts and Five Sacrifices
In a post here last week, I argued for an initial puzzle in the dharmasūtras of Āpastamba and Vasiṣṭha. Both authors argue that the four āśramas are equally legitimate. Their arguments for the importance of the householder, however, seem to Continue reading The Householder Debates in the Dharmasūtras: Another Solution
The Householder Debates in the Dharmasūtras: An Initial Puzzle The dharmasūtras of Gautama and Baudhāyana argue that only the householder is legitimate. Āpastamba and Vasiṣṭha, in contrast, argue against the claim that the householder is less legitimate than the other Continue reading The Householder Debates in the Dharmasūtras: An Initial Puzzle
In his book Hindu Ethics: A Philosophical Study (1998), Roy Perrett defends what he calls “Hindu ethics” against a range of contemporary western objections. In the second chapter of the book, entitled “Saints and the Supramoral,” Perrett develops an objection Continue reading Is the Karmayogin a Moral Saint?
The following is an expanded version of the introduction to my paper, “Renunciation, Pleasure, and the Good Life in the Saṃnyāsa Upaniṣads,” forthcoming in Philosophy East and West (July 2017). The Saṃnyāsa Upaniṣads characterize the life of the saṃnyāsin (renunciate) Continue reading Renunciation and the Good Life
Mathew Dasti is the new South Asia Book Review Editor for Philosophy East and West. Congratulations Matthew. (Any inquiries regarding book reviews can be addressed to: Matthew.Dasti@bridgew.edu)
A new collection of essays on Animal Ethics in Asian Traditions, many of which deal with Buddhist and Hindu material. Description and contents below. Dalal, Neil and Taylor, Chloe. 2014. Asian Perspectives on Animal Ethics: Rethinking the Non-Human (London: Routledge). Continue reading Book Notice: Asian Perspectives on Animal Ethics: Rethinking the Non-Human
Here is a link to a lecture on karma that I give in my Introduction to Asian Religions course at The University of Calgary. This is also a topic that I’m writing some papers on, with the hope of eventually Continue reading Karma: The Lecture
Someone had raised some questions on an earlier post about the journal Asian Philosophy. Does Asian Philosophy subject papers to blind review? I have seen a lot of good articles in Asian Philosophy over the past two years, but this Continue reading Returning to the topic of the journal Asian Philosophy