About Chris Framarin

Chris Framarin is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy and the Department of Classics and Religion at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. He is the author of Hinduism and Environmental Ethics: Law, Literature, and Philosophy (Routledge 2014) and Desire and Motivation in Indian Philosophy (Routledge 2009).

Against Karma as Habits of Action: A Reply to Satyan Sharma

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

Three Debts and Five Sacrifices

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

The Householder Debates in the Dharmasūtras: Another Solution

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 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

Is the Karmayogin a Moral Saint?

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?

Renunciation and the Good Life

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

Book Notice: Asian Perspectives on Animal Ethics: Rethinking the Non-Human

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