Yes, I am transcribing my Indian Philosophy notes for you all. Why? because I think its so interesting that its hard to think of it as a class...for that reason as well as the near to zero outside reading...well, that I'm aware of in any case.
(Yes this was dictated, over the course of several days - the students have to take exams and basically know some of this stuff word for word...weird if you ask me but as its interesting I don't mind all that much, but will if it continues past today.)
General Characteristics of Indian Philosophy
Diversities and varieties among the nine schools of indian philosophy are such that there is hardly any point to which all of them agree. yet, we will attempt to find some points which are common concerns for most of the schools.
1. Practical motive present in all systems. One of the most important points of agreement is that in India all systems regard philosophy as a practical necessity and cultivate it in order to understand how life can be best led. The aim of philosophical wisdom is not merely the satisfaction of intellectual curiosity, but mainly an enlightened life.
2. Pessimism in Indian philosophy is initial, not final. Indian philosophy is pessimistic in the sense that it begins under a sense of discomfort at the existing order of things. But no Indian system stops with this picture. The essence of the Buddha's enlightenment ranging from the painful view of the world to the cessation of the pain, summs up the real view of every Indian school in this respect.
3. Belief in an internal moral order. Indian philosophy believes in an internal moral order, which pervades individuals, objects, nature, and the cosmos as a whole. It stands as the basis of cosmic harmony and acts as the substratum of moral principles.
4. The law of Karma. All schools of Indian philosophy accept the law of karma. according to this law, every action produces its fruit in due course of time, and the doer must suffer or enjoy from the same. This law helps explain differences among individuals. there are three kinds of karma accepted: Karma that has already produced its results, Karma that has not yet been fruitified, and Karma that has yet to be performed. Thus, the law of karma keeps provision both for free will and for destiny.
5. The universe as a moral stage. The body, the sense organs, an the motor organs that an individual gets and the circumstances that he finds himself in are the endowment of nature according to his karma. All get the "dress" and the "part" that befit them, and are to act well to deserve well in the future.
6. Indian thinkers opine that ignorance of reality is the cause of our bondage and suffering, and that liberation from those can't be attained without knowledge of reality. Bondage refers to the cycle of rebirth and the suffering that follows, whereas liberation is the end of this cycle and the consequent freedom from pain.
7. Due to its practical nature, indian philosophy believes in continued meditation on the truths learned in order to remove deep-rooted false beliefs. This led to the development of an elaborate technique fully explained in the yoga system. But yoga, in the sense of concentration and self-control, is not confined to that system only. It is found in Buddhism, Jainism, Sakya, Vedanta, and others.
I hope you enjoy my philosophy class.
(Yes this was dictated, over the course of several days - the students have to take exams and basically know some of this stuff word for word...weird if you ask me but as its interesting I don't mind all that much, but will if it continues past today.)
General Characteristics of Indian Philosophy
Diversities and varieties among the nine schools of indian philosophy are such that there is hardly any point to which all of them agree. yet, we will attempt to find some points which are common concerns for most of the schools.
1. Practical motive present in all systems. One of the most important points of agreement is that in India all systems regard philosophy as a practical necessity and cultivate it in order to understand how life can be best led. The aim of philosophical wisdom is not merely the satisfaction of intellectual curiosity, but mainly an enlightened life.
2. Pessimism in Indian philosophy is initial, not final. Indian philosophy is pessimistic in the sense that it begins under a sense of discomfort at the existing order of things. But no Indian system stops with this picture. The essence of the Buddha's enlightenment ranging from the painful view of the world to the cessation of the pain, summs up the real view of every Indian school in this respect.
3. Belief in an internal moral order. Indian philosophy believes in an internal moral order, which pervades individuals, objects, nature, and the cosmos as a whole. It stands as the basis of cosmic harmony and acts as the substratum of moral principles.
4. The law of Karma. All schools of Indian philosophy accept the law of karma. according to this law, every action produces its fruit in due course of time, and the doer must suffer or enjoy from the same. This law helps explain differences among individuals. there are three kinds of karma accepted: Karma that has already produced its results, Karma that has not yet been fruitified, and Karma that has yet to be performed. Thus, the law of karma keeps provision both for free will and for destiny.
5. The universe as a moral stage. The body, the sense organs, an the motor organs that an individual gets and the circumstances that he finds himself in are the endowment of nature according to his karma. All get the "dress" and the "part" that befit them, and are to act well to deserve well in the future.
6. Indian thinkers opine that ignorance of reality is the cause of our bondage and suffering, and that liberation from those can't be attained without knowledge of reality. Bondage refers to the cycle of rebirth and the suffering that follows, whereas liberation is the end of this cycle and the consequent freedom from pain.
7. Due to its practical nature, indian philosophy believes in continued meditation on the truths learned in order to remove deep-rooted false beliefs. This led to the development of an elaborate technique fully explained in the yoga system. But yoga, in the sense of concentration and self-control, is not confined to that system only. It is found in Buddhism, Jainism, Sakya, Vedanta, and others.
I hope you enjoy my philosophy class.
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