A group blog of scholars exploring Indian philosophy
This week I continue my response to Patrick O’Donnell’s comments disputing my claim that in classical Indian Buddhism “the causes of suffering are primarily mental”. The discussion last time was abstract and theoretical, but it has practical consequences – which Continue reading The path corrects the mind
Dear readers, For my final blog post as guest host for March 2021, I’ll begin by putting the concept of the apūrva on the table, and then I’ll shift into my interpretation of Śālikanātha’s new model of the archetypal Vedic Continue reading The Apūrva in Prābhākara Mīmāṃsā
Continuing my reply to Evan Thompson, I will focus next on karma, because the reinterpretation of karma is central to my own eudaimonist Buddhism, and therefore it forms a focal point in Thompson’s critique. Karma is Thompson’s example of how Continue reading Is karma about why bad things happen to good people?
We are surely familiar with the pattern by now: members of an Asian tradition are concerned about supposed corruptions in their tradition which depart from the intentions of the tradition’s historic founders, so they turn with renewed focus to the Continue reading Asian historicism before Protestantism
Continuing my response to Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, I want to turn back now to the original point of contention with which our exchange first began: the role of conventional (sammuti/vohāra) and ultimate (paramattha) in Buddhaghosa’s thought. First and foremost, I am Continue reading Mere convention vs. seeing correctly
A while ago, Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad made a thoughtful reply to the last of my post series on Buddhaghosa. I thank Ram-Prasad for that reply; I appreciate his willingness to engage with my rather cheeky attempt to reply to an article Continue reading The importance of reading Buddhaghosa closely
Friends, I’ve been teaching the Bhagavad Gītā in Indian philosophy and World philosophy courses for over a decade, as well as incorporating selections of the Gītā into other course offerings. I’ve yet to use a version that isn’t frustrating. Even those that Continue reading Translations of the Gita that aren’t too frustrating
On Nov. 14-16, 2017 I attended a workshop called “Buddhism and Scepticism: Historical, Philosophical, and Comparative Approaches” held at the University of Hamburg. It was sponsored by the Numata Center for Buddhist Studies and the Maimonides Center for Advanced Studies Continue reading Reflections on the Hamburg “Buddhism and Scepticism” Workshop
This article came out a little while ago, in India’s Seminar magazine. But it’s well worth highlighting here. Alex reflects on the ways that textual scholarship, philosophical reflection, and historical reconstruction intersect in the study of Indian philosophy. Link: http://www.india-seminar.com/2015/671/671_alex_watson.htm
Peter Adamason’s podcast series, History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps has been developing a subsection on Indian philosophy for the last year and a half or so. It is worth looking at. Consider, for example, this episode, where our own Elisa Freschi Continue reading History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps