Indian and Intercultural Philosophy: Personhood, Consciousness, and Causality (Bloomsbury Studies in World Philosophies)

"For over twenty years Douglas Berger has advanced research and reflection on Indian philosophical traditions from both classical and cross-cultural perspectives. This volume reveals the extent of his contribution by bringing together his perspectives on these classical Indian philosophies and placing them in conversation with Confucian, Chinese Buddhist and medieval Indian Sufi traditions. Delving into debates between Nyaya and Buddhist philosophers on consciousness and identity, the nature of Sankara's theory of the self, the precise character of Nagarjuna's idea of emptiness, and the relationship between awareness and embodiment in the broad spectrum of Indian thought, chapters exhibit Berger's unusually broad range of expertise. They connect Chinese Confucian and Buddhist texts with classical Indian theories of ethics and consciousness, contrast the ideas of seminal European thinkers like Nietzsche and Derrida from prevailing themes in Buddhism, and shed light on the spiritual and political dimensions of the Mughal prince Dara Shukoh's immersion into Vedantic thought. Always approaching the arguments from an intercultural perspective, Berger shows how much relevance and resonance classical Indian thought has with ancient Confucian views of ethics, Chinese Buddhist depictions of consciousness and medieval Mughal conceptions of divinity. The result is a volume celebrating the rigor, vitality and intercultural resonance of India's rich philosophical heritage."-- Provided by publisher Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents 6 Acknowledgments 7 Introduction 10 Part I: Brāhmiṇical Traditions 22 Chapter 1: Shedding Light on the Matter: Śaṅkara’s Dualistic Theory of Cognition 24 Chapter 2: The Abode of Recognition: Memory and Selfhood in Classical Nyāya Thought1 33 Chapter 3: How Do We Sense?: Imagination in Buddhist and Nyāya Thought1 50 Part II: Madhyamaka Buddhism 64 Chapter 4: What Kind of Designation Is “Emptiness”? : Reconsidering Nāgārjuna’s MMK 24:18 66 Ancient Texts and Modern Hermeneutics 66 The Puzzles and Readings of MMK 24:18 69 Candrakīrti and the “Standard” Reading 72 The Need for a Reappraisal 75 Nāgārjuna on Types of Designation 78 A Twofold, Threefold, or Fourfold Equivalence? 81 Commentarial Ambiguity 84 Historical and Hermeneutical Considerations 88 Philosophical Problems 93 The Case for Simple Synonymy 98 Brief Reflections on Hermeneutics 106 Chapter 5: “The Social Meaning of the Middle Way”: B. S. Yadav and the Madhyamaka Critique of Indian Ontologies1 110 Introduction 110 The Social Essentialism of the Hindu Realists 112 The Conservative Traditionalism of Advaitic “Ātmalogy” 119 The Antisocial Essentialism of Indian Buddhists 123 Beyond Identity and Difference: Buddhism and Society 128 Chapter 6: Deconstruction, Aporia and Justice: In Nāgārjuna’s Empty Ethics1  134 Part III: Indian and Intercultural Philosophy 156 Chapter 7: Early Brāhmiṇical and Confucian Ideas of Duty 158 Continuing an Intercultural Debate 158 The Gītā: Gauging Results or Playing at Roles? 160 The Mengzi: Intimacy and Amelioration 169 The Natural Roots of Duty: Intrinsic or Relational? 175 A Case for Outcomes 179 Chapter 8: Indian and Chinese Notions of Luminous Awareness 183 Chapter 9: The Unlikely Commentator: The Hermeneutic Reception of Śaṅkara’s Thought in the Interpretation of Dārā Shukøh1 197 Chapter 10: The Pivot of Nihilism : Buddha Through Nietzsche’s Eyes1 206 Nietzsche’s Buddha: The Admirable but Weak-Willed Nihilist 209 The Buddha’s Middle Path and the Life of Will as Nihilism 214 Nietzsche and Early Buddhism: The Questions of Influence and Resonance 219 Bibliography 224 Index 232