Brahman and Dao: Comparative Studies of Indian and Chinese Philosophy and Religion

by Ithamar Theodor Zefat Academic College (Editor), Zhihua Yao (Editor), Ram Nath Jha (Contribution by), Sophia Katz (Contribution by), Friederike Assandri (Contribution by)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739188149
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	11/07/2013
Series:	Studies in Comparative Philosophy and Religion
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	308
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Ithamar Theodor is a scholar of Hinduism. A graduate of the Theology Faculty, University of Oxford, and a Life Member of Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, he is lecturer at the University of Haifa and visiting scholar at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.


Zhihua Yao is associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research interests cover Buddhist philosophy, Indian philosophy, and philosophy of religion.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
List of Contributors
Introduction
Part One: Metaphysics and Soteriology
Chapter 1: One, Water, and Cosmogony: Reflections on the Rgveda X.129 and the Taiyi sheng shui
Chapter Two: Exploring Parallels between the Philosophy of Upanisads and Daoism
Chapter Three: The Way of silent Realization: Ineffability and Rationality in the Philosophical Mysticisms of Sa?kara and Zhan Ruoshui
Chapter Four: Impermanence and Immortality: The concept of pañca-skandha in Buddhism and in Twofold Mystery Daoism
Section Two: Ethics
Chapter 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 Hinduism
Section Three: Body, Health and Spirituality
Chapter Ten: Yoga and Daoyin: History, Worldview, and Techniques
Chapter Eleven: The Emergence of Classical Medicine in Ancient China and India
Chapter Twelve: Health, Illness, and the Body in Buddhist and Daoist Self-Cultivation
Section Four: Language and Culture
Chapter Thirteen: Indic Influence on Chinese Language
Chapter 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

Editorial Reviews

This is a thoughtful and bold collection of essays that seeks genuinely to engage across Indian and Chinese traditions on a wide variety of issues. It represents the emerging field of comparativist study of Indian and Chinese materials that will surely be a significant area of twenty-first century global philosophy. This book offers a scholarly yet accessible presentation of illuminating comparisons between Indian and Chinese sources.

Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad

The editors who dreamt up this volume of essays on Brahman and Dao were walking in the right direction.

Religions of South Asia

China and India have the richest and most influential spiritual and philosophic traditions in Asia and have been in contact with each other for two millennia, yet comparative studies of these two civilizations and their relationship with each other have been few. The fine essays in this volume bridge this gap by exploring the similarities and dissimilarities between the two traditions in the areas of metaphysics, ethics, medicine, spirituality, language, and culture. Theodor and Yao are to be commended for providing us with such an insightful and multi-dimensional understanding of the complex spiritual traditions of these two enormously influential cultures.

Keith Knapp

This volume will contribute to broadening the horizons of comparative philosophy and religion, and for that reason I highly recommend it to scholars of Indian and Chinese traditions and anyone who is interested in what can be learned from cross-cultural explorations.

Frontiers of Philosophy in China

China and India have the richest and most influential spiritual and philosophic traditions in Asia and have been in contact with each other for two millennia, yet comparative studies of these two civilizations and their relationship with each other have been few. The fine essays in this volume bridge this gap by exploring the similarities and dissimilarities between the two traditions in the areas of metaphysics, ethics, medicine, spirituality, language, and culture. Theodor and Yao are to be commended for providing us with such an insightful and multi-dimensional understanding of the complex spiritual traditions of these two enormously influential cultures.--Keith Knapp, The Citadel

The editors who dreamt up this volume of essays on Brahman and Dao were walking in the right direction.-- "Religions of South Asia"

This is a thoughtful and bold collection of essays that seeks genuinely to engage across Indian and Chinese traditions on a wide variety of issues. It represents the emerging field of comparativist study of Indian and Chinese materials that will surely be a significant area of twenty-first century global philosophy. This book offers a scholarly yet accessible presentation of illuminating comparisons between Indian and Chinese sources.
--Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, Lancaster University

This volume will contribute to broadening the horizons of comparative philosophy and religion, and for that reason I highly recommend it to scholars of Indian and Chinese traditions and anyone who is interested in what can be learned from cross-cultural explorations.-- "Frontiers of Philosophy in China"

From the Publisher