Brahman and Dao: Comparative Studies of Indian and Chinese Philosophy and Religion (Studies in Comparative Philosophy and Religion)

The present geopolitical rise of India and China evokes much interest in the comparative study of these two ancient Asian cultures. There are various studies comparing Western and Indian philosophies and religions, and there are similar works comparing Chinese and Western philosophy and religion. However, so far there is no systemic comparative study of Chinese and Indian philosophies and religions. Therefore there is a need to fill this gap. As such, Brahman and Dao: Comparative Studies of Indian and Chinese Philosophy and Religion is a pioneering volume in that it highlights possible bridges between these two great cultures and complex systems of thought, with seventeen chapters on various Indo-Chinese comparative topics. The book focuses on four themes: metaphysics and soteriology; ethics; body, health and spirituality; and language and culture. AcknowledgmentsList of ContributorsIntroductionPart One: Metaphysics and SoteriologyChapter 1: One, Water, and Cosmogony: Reflections on the Rgveda X.129 and the Taiyi sheng shuiChapter Two: Exploring Parallels between the Philosophy of Upanisads and DaoismChapter Three: The Way of silent Realization: Ineffability and Rationality in the Philosophical Mysticisms of Sa?kara and Zhan RuoshuiChapter Four: Impermanence and Immortality: The concept of panca-skandha in Buddhism and in Twofold Mystery DaoismSection Two: EthicsChapter Five: Li and Dharma: Gandhi, Confucius and Virtue Aesthetics Chapter Six: Ethics and Metaphysics in the Bhagavadgita and Classical Chinese Thought Chapter Seven: Communal Moral Personhood and Moral Responsibility in the Analects and the Bhagavadgita Chapter Eight: Ethics of Compassion: Buddhist Karu?a and Confucian Ren Chapter Nine: Why "Besire" Is Not Bizarre: Moral Knowledge in Confucianism and HinduismSection Three: Body, Health and SpiritualityChapter Ten: Yoga and Daoyin: History, Worldview, and Techniques Chapter Eleven: The Emergence of Classical Medicine in Ancient China and IndiaChapter Twelve: Health, Illness, and the Body in Buddhist and Daoist Self-CultivationSection Four: Language and CultureChapter Thirteen: Indic Influence on Chinese LanguageChapter Fourteen: Magical Alphabet in the Indian and Chinese Minds: From the Garland of Letters to Master Pu'an's Siddham Mantra Chapter Fifteen: Mixed up on "Matching Terms" (geyi): Confusions in Cross-cultural Translation Chapter Sixteen: The Ludic Quality of Life: A Comparison of the Caitanaya-caritam?ta and the Zhuangzi Chapter Seventeen: The Poet and the Historian: Criticism of the Modern Age by Rabindranath Tagore and Qian Mu Brahman and Dao: Comparative Studies of Indian and Chinese Philosophy and Religion is a pioneering volume highlighting possible bridges between Indian and Chinese cultures and complex systems of thought, and it includes 17 chapters on various Indo-Chinese comparative topics. It looks into four such themes: 1) metaphysics and soteriology, 2) ethics, 3) body, health and spirituality, and 4) language and culture.