A group blog of scholars exploring Indian philosophy
A student has asked me this question, which I thought might be interesting to open up to a broader audience: After how long and how much study does a new scholar become proficient enough in Sanskrit to read the original Continue reading Reading Sanskrit texts “unaided”
Jorge Cham PhD Comics Recently I was asked for advice by an incoming graduate student who was interested in research in Indian philosophy. As I’ve given a lot of the same advice to my own students during the past few Continue reading Advice for new graduate students in Indian philosophy
I demonstrated last time why Buddhaghosa believes the ultimate (paramattha) to be higher and truer than the conventional (vohāra or sammuti). But this is not to say that he finds the conventional unnecessary. Charles Hallisey rightly points out its value Continue reading Conventional teaching wrongly taken as an equal
The Comparative and Continental Philosophy Circle takes place this week (May 23-25) at Leiden University in the Netherlands. More details here. There are a number of presentations scheduled on Indian philosophy and related areas, including the following. I am looking Continue reading Comparative and Continental Philosophy Circle, Leiden, Netherlands (May 23-25, 2019)
Intercultural philosophy is based on a dialogue, i.e., not just on a sheer juxtaposition of monologues, since such a juxtaposition would not lead to any new result and both partners would not be able to gain anything out of it. Continue reading “Wrestling with the angel”
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
What to do with comparisons? They are always risky, insofar as one risks to style oneself as an impartial observer while being in fact part of the discussion. Hence, should not one avoid them altogether?
I am very pleased to announce that all five of the lectures from this year in Princeton’s “New Directions in Indian and Comparative Philosophy” series are now online. Please feel free to share the link to the series webpage: You Continue reading Indian Philosophy Lecture Series Videos Now Online
I now begin my responses to Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad on the thought of Buddhaghosa. Let me first reiterate a point I made early on: what I refuse is the interpretation that Buddhaghosa’s understanding of ultimate, conventional and the aggregates are merely Continue reading There is only name and form
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?