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O scriere budhistă fundamentală: Vasubandhu, VIMSIKAKARIKA cu VRTTI ( Tratatul în 20 de versete, cu Comentariul său)

Author(s): Ovidiu Cristian Nedu / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 1/2011

Vijñaptimatratasiddhi is one of the major works of Vasubandhu, the founder of Vijñanavada school of Mahayana buddhism. The text was put into written around the IV-th century, A.D. and consists of two treatises: Vimsikakarika (The Treatise in 20 Verses) and Trimsikakarika (The Treatise in 30 Verses). The Treatise in 20 Verses is an apologetical text, dealing mostly with the objections that could be raised against the idealist ontolgy promotted by it and which are refuted in the text, while The Treatise in 30 Verses represents an exposition of the idealist doctrine itself. Throughout the The Treatise in 20 Verses, Vasubandhu offers idealist interpretations to situations that seem to involve the existence of some external, objective entities. All such situations are dealt with in terms pertaining only to consciousness and representation. The work is written as a dialogue between Vasubandhu and a virtual opponent, supporting the realistic philosophy. The realist system of philosophy considered by Vasubandhu is the atomist school, Vaisesika, very influential in India, during that age. This wide recognition enjoyed by Vaisesika explains Vasubandhu’s particular interest in rejecting the atomist theory. Although the work is mostly polemic, sporadically, Vasubandhu also exposes his own idealist theories, as alternatives to the refuted realist interpretations. The very brief Treatise in 20 Verses was commented by Vasubandhu himself, at large, in the work Vimsikakarikavrtti. The translation of the commentary is given along with the translation of the verses.

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The Relevance of “Givenness” for the Indian Religious Traditions

Author(s): Marcus Schmücker / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2014

The paper focuses on comparing some of the main results of the European tradition of phenomenology of religion represented and further developed by Jean-Luc Marion. His views on the constitution of the “I” appear promising for a comparison when contrasted with the views on the same phenomenon in Indian religious traditions. Marion, whose rich work is mainly devoted to the philosophy of donation, discovered a new way that led him from the givenness of the object of knowledge/perception, to the understanding of self-givenness of the subject, to a new understanding of the experience of god. The author chooses as a start ing point the central question in Marion’s work: the constitution of the “I” and the problem of whether it is able to constitute itself or whether something exists that constitutes the “I” beforehand without leaving the concept of subjectivity. For the Indian side, he offers examples for the way in which the constitution of the “I” takes place or not and what relevance a kind of givenness has in this context not only for a concept of the subject but also for the theistic ideas in Indian traditions.

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Rabindranath Tagore on a comparative study of religions

Author(s): Asha Mukherjee / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2014

The study of religion describes, analyses and compares how certain human beings do in fact express their faith in terms of particular scriptures, religious figures, sacred rituals, community solidarity, etc. It also demonstrates how all these explicitly religious phenomena may relate to other aspects of people’s lives. It also aspires to address the questions in a manner that is evenhanded, objective and based on evidence that may be checked by any competent inquirer, and non-committal on claims to divine revelation and authority. It is in principle comparative, not in a judgmental evaluative sense, but in terms of describing and analysing comparable elements and or phenomena from various religious traditions, using the same criteria in each case. The paper begins with a brief report on the study of religion in the context of India and presents in detail Rabindranath Tagore’s (1861–1941) views on the need, an objective and philosophy behind the comparative study of religion. As Tagore observes, when studying religion one usually chooses between two alternative approaches: to do research on the secret text or to study the rituals. Tagore accepts none of them fully. Instead, Tagore suggests rediscovering how human aspiration for transcendence works in practice, how it sustains the individual — often marginalised by the power of institutionalised religion — and society, and how it generates new cultural forms. For Tagore, the essence of religion lies in the will to transcend the limit of the self-cantered being towards an ideal of perfection — which he calls divinity of Man. His understanding of the “religion of Man”, as he puts it, is discussed in the major part of the paper.

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The Problem of Psychophysical Agency in the Classical Sāmkhya and Yoga

Author(s): Marzenna Jakubczak / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2015

The paper discusses the issue of psychophysical agency in the context of Indian philosophy, focusing on the oldest preserved texts of the classical tradition of SāṃkhyaYoga. the author raises three major questions: What is action in terms of Sāṃkhyakārikā (ca. fifth century CE) and Yogasūtra (ca. third century CE)? Whose action is it, or what makes one an agent? What is a right and morally good action? the first part of the paper reconsiders a general idea of action — including actions that are deliberately done and those that ‘merely’ happen — identified by Patañjali and Ῑśvarakṛṣṇa as a permanent change or transformation (pariṇāma) determined by the universal principle of causation (satkārya). then, a threefold categorization of actions according to their causes is presented, i.e. internal agency (ādhyātmika), external agency (ādhibhautika) and ‘divine’ agency (ādhidaivika). The second part of the paper undertakes the problem of the agent’s autonomy and the doer’s psychophysical integrity. the main issues that are exposed in this context include the relationship between an agent and the agent’s capacity for perception and cognition, as well as the crucial SāṃkhyaYoga distinction between ‘a doer’ and ‘the self ’. the agent’s selfawareness and his or her moral selfesteem are also briefly examined. Moreover, the efficiency of action in present and future is discussed (i.e. karman, karmāśaya, saṃskāra, vāsanā), along with the criteria of a right act accomplished through meditative insight (samādhi) and moral discipline (yama).

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Zagadnienie tożsamości bytu w filozofii buddyjskiej

Author(s): Krzysztof Jakubczak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2015

The Buddhist philosophical school of madhyamaka is famous for its statement that things do not have their own inherent nature, essence or self‑nature (svabhāva). As a result, it is said that there is no objective foundation of the identity of things. thus, the identity of things is not grounded in things themselves but is solely imputed and externally imposed on them. Things are what they are only for us, whereas for themselves, or from their ‘own side’ they are empty (śūnya). that is why madhyamaka philosophy is often compared to the philosophical conceptions inspired by a linguistic reflection (from Ludwig Wittgenstein to Jacques Derrida) which defines the problem of identity in terms of cognitive subjectivism and constructivism. Starting the analysis from the Abhidharma Buddhist tradition I will show that this reading of madhyamaka view is too narrow. I will demonstrate that it is a result of an assumption, shared by Parmenides and Plato and wrongly ascribed to this Buddhist school, that the identity of being must be grounded in the self ‑existing, self ‑defined and (relatively) permanent ontological foundation. this tacit assumption, if rejected, makes any identity a completely subjective and relative construct. the point I am going to argue for, however, is that the madhyamaka school sticks to an alternative understanding of objectivity; the foundation of all things is nothing but pure relation that precedes, in the ontological sense, all co ‑related elements (i.e. things). Therefore, the question comes up: how being‑in‑relationship or ‘relationality’ may be the foundation of identity and what kind of identity it endows. I will try to answer these questions.

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Jesu li Tvorac i njegov Svemir u Platōnovu Timaiju zamisli sredozemnoga podrijetla?

Author(s): Mislav Ježić / Language(s): Croatian Issue: 01/137/2015

In Plato’s dialogue it is Timaeus from Locri in Italy who describes cosmogony to his Athenian friends – a very Mediterranean narrative framework. However, many motifs in the cosmogony of Timaeus have their parallels in an Indian Upaniṣad, Aitareya-Upaniṣad, and possible partial parallels in the traditions of Iranians, Slavs, and especially Germans. That seems to imply Indo-European, and not Mediterranean origin (which does not exclude possible further correspondences). On the other hand, that cosmogonic model seems to have influenced the (Greek) terminology of the Christian formulations in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed concerning the Creator and creation. Although not of Mediterranean origin, the creation model from the dialogue Timaeus became widely spread in the Mediterranean area.

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Медицинские упоминания в эпических произведениях Древней Индии («Рамаяна» и «Махабхарата»)

Author(s): Anna Mikhaylovna Subotyalova,Mikhail Albertovich Subotyalov / Language(s): Russian Issue: 3/2016

The article focuses on the historical and medical phenomenon: the study of medical and biological heritage by examining medical references in literary works of the relevant era. This paper presents the analysis of the ancient Indian epics ("Ramayana" and "Mahabharata"), which are considered as literary sources for the history of medicine in Postvedic period of med-ical tradition of Ayurveda. Postvedic period of Ayurvedic medicine extends between X and VI centuries BC. These great epics are the most valuable sources of evidence about ancient Indian culture. Due to diverse nature of the epics, they provide a wide range of information about ancient Indian medicine. The study revealed a number of references to medical terms in Sanskrit, historical figures related to doctoring, found the testimony of some pathological symptoms, dis-eases and methods of treatment. The present findings allow us to indirectly identify the level of knowledge about doctoring in the relevant period. Despite the fact the initial knowledge of med-icine in the Vedic literature was based on magic and the supernatural approach, it should be emphasized that later medical knowledge was based on observations and scientific experience. Ayurvedic physicians of past generations provided a significant and logical justification of the traditions of their medical system.

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The Hierarchy of the Transcendentals According to the Advaita Vedānta

Author(s): Marta Kudelska / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2014

In advaita vedānta, the status of real existence is ascribed to the Brahman only. The Brahman is the transcendental ultimate reality and it is not possible to describe it by any attribute. The present paper will focus on the problem of values. What is the status of values according to the pure monistic system? When advaita vedāntists call the empirical world sad-asad-anirvacanīya (real-unreal-indefinable), are we entitled to speak about the existence of values? And if they are real, what does ‘real’ mean in this context?All the attributes by which we describe the world can be grasped in groups. This division depends on the way in which we experience the world. One group encom-passes objects experienced by the external organs, by the senses; its realm is responsi-ble for aesthetic values. The second group leads to discrimination; its domain is ethics. The third prejudges the status of the world and advances metaphysical arguments. These three groups are arranged hierarchically. This order includes the cosmological and the soteriological model as well; thus the vision of the world in classical Indian thought appears as total harmony.

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Notes Towards Defining ‘Theory’ (Śāstra) in Sanskrit; Systematic Classification Presented in Rājaśekhara’s Kāvyamīmāṃsā

Author(s): Katarzyna Pażucha / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2014

Even though the genre of śāstra is one of the most familiar and important constituents of the cultural and intellectual history of South Asia, it did not receive the proper atten-tion and the term itself remains obscure. Also in the tradition of Sanskrit letters itself the scope and nature of śāstra, it would seem, is not precisely delineated. Using the dis-cussion presented by Rājaśekhara, the tenth century poet and theoretician, in his Kāvy-amīmāṃsā, this article will try to bring together recent evaluations of the genre with a contextualized discussion of the tradition’s selfunderstanding.

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Science and Religious impacts on the Indian Society

Author(s): Jaya Kumar Jacob Mukthipudi,Brahmaji Rao / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2016

There are three fundamental aspects in every Indian Society, constantly quarrelling, contradicting and compromising one another every time and contributing pollution at alarming rate. They are cultural, secular and religious aspects. Understanding the Interplay of these three aspects can give us valuable information regarding the country’s spiritual forwardness and its social backwardness; ultimately relieve us from the mystery of Indian system. In every aspect, poverty is constant and pollution is dynamic. All Indians are struggling for existence in everyday life. Economy and Ecology are another two aspects, which exploiting the natural resources. Traditionally and technologically, people of India follow religious as well as scientific sentiments. Gap in between poor and rich are widening, inspiring controversy and increasing crime rate. Women are more vulnerable facing insecurity of life problem. Political system is always dominating aspect and acting as opportunistic, parasitic in nature. Knowledge and intelligence of Indians in mother land are vain; where as in foreign lands it is gainful. Brain drain is one more additional problem in recent years in India. Here Education system is in dilemma position and failed to empower the 60% youth in progressive direction, which is a largest in the world. Now India is suffering with falsehood and false prestige. The seventy years of independence and self-rule are fruitless more over throwing into debt nation with uncontrolled over population, poverty and pollution pang. Religion without superstitions and Science without side effects are impossible in Indian Society. In this paper researcher investigates the real life problems in India for further rectification. With a view to overcome this pathetic situation in India a new nationalistic and socialistic dimension of life-saver concept was identified namely Yogic Environmentalism [YE] which is an unique journey of humans through their interior, exterior and ulterior spheres to reach a green paradise on Earth. This paper focuses on the symbiotic and synergetic relationship in-between the concepts of ancient yoga and recent environment.

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Kept in translation: Adivasi cultural tropes in the Pragat Purushottam Sanstha

Author(s): Gregory D. Alles / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2016

This article considers a little studied branch of Swaminarayan Hinduism, the Pragat Purushottam Sanstha, whose headquarters are located in Bakrol, Anand district, Gujarat. It is specifically concerned with the results of the activities of this branch among adivasi (tribal) people in the Chhotaudepur district in eastern central Gujarat, results that are of the sort that were once frequently referred to as ‘Sanskritization’, but that I prefer to call, with a nod to local terminology, ‘bhagatization’. The article first situates the Pragat Purushottam Sanstha within the broader family of Swaminarayan communities, contrasting it with another, much better known community, the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, with whom it shares an early lineage. Then it identifies ways in which participation in the Sanstha has led adivasi people to replace some of their traditions with practices drawn from the outside. Although it is common in the area to view people who participate in a community such as the Pragat Purushottam Sanstha as abandoning adivasi traditions altogether, this article suggests that such a view is misleading. Drawing inspiration from James Clifford’s work with cultural translation and Greg Urban’s work with cultural transformation, it suggests that the Sanstha exemplifies one way in which elements of adivasi culture persist when adivasis translate their traditions into settings marked by increasing contact with globalizing modernities.

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Ciemniejsza strona ciemności – ścieżka lewej ręki w zachodniej tradycji ezoterycznej. Wybrane zagadnienia

Author(s): Zbigniew Łagosz,Agata Świerzowska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2016

The article is a comprehensive attempt at demonstrating the entry of the concept of the Indian Tantric Left-Hand Path into the Western esoteric tradition. Based on selected examples such as Wicca, Satanism and Thelema, the authors show the ways in which this idea has been reinterpreted and absorbed by the Western esoteric milieu.

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Wizerunki boga Ramy w indyjskiej kinematografii komercyjnej

Author(s): Daria Dulok / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2016

The aim of the article is to analyse the representation of Rama in Indian commercial cinema and to identify its social impact. In mythological films, Rama is presented as a ruler and as a protector of dharma (eternal moral law and the main principle of social order). Because of their specific form, mythological films allow spectators to contemplate the image of Rama and to commune with the god. In turn, films which put Ramayana’s story in a present-day context present Rama as a modern-day hero. Rama is no longer depicted as a god, but as a man or a super hero. His image is more human and more attractive, which in consequence satisfies the audience and its needs.

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PRAWDA I POZÓR W MUNIMATALANKARZE (MUNIMATĀLAṀKĀRA) ABHAJAKARAGUPTY (ABHAYĀKARAGUPTA)

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish Issue: 24/2014

This is a selected translation drawn from Munimatālaṁkāra (The Ornament of the Sage’s Intention), authored by Abhayākaragupta (c. 1100), one of the last great masters of Buddhism in India. He wrote on most major areas of Buddhist practice and thought (Mahāyāna doctrine and the path, Tantric ritual and meditation).The text does not appear to survive in the original sanskrit. It was translated by the author’s Tibetan disciple Dpang-zho Gsal-ba-grags in Nalanda.=, and later revised by Dpang Lo-tsā-ba Blo-gros-brtan-pa (1276–1342). The passage chosen here is drawn from the final section of the lengthy first chapter of Munimatālaṁkāra, entitled the “appearance of the enlightened mind”. The chapter traces the course of the path from the initial cultivation of the aspiration to enlightenment through to the development of discernment, or wisdom. The analysis of the two truths is introduced in this context.

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Nagarjuna i srednji put

Author(s): Yvon Thoraval / Language(s): Bosnian Issue: 07/1996

Knjiga Guya Bugaulta upoznaje čitaoca sa ovim budističkim dijalektičarom iz II i III stoljeća. Nagarjuna. Nakon nekoliko članaka profesora J.W.Jonga i Jacquesa Maya, Jaspers ruši predrasudu prema kojoj postoji samo grčka i zapadna filozofija i osigurava mu mjesto u svojoj knjizi "Veliki filozofi". Kako nije imao direktnog pristupa sanskrtskim tekstovima, koje je smatrao nedostupnim, njegovo izlaganje se doima poput razbijena zrcala, u kojemu se naziru dijelovi istine. Drugi dio njegova izlaganja, snažniji i ličniji, svjedoči o boljem razumijevanju, mada prikazuje i nameće neke naše kategorije tamo gdje je trebalo načiniti ’srjoxri’. Skica J.Greniera, usprkos svom taktu i finesama, sadržava poteškoću iste vrste, jer zatvara Nagarjunu u problematiku skepticizma, tamo gdje on ne traži izvjesnost. Tek od skorog datuma, 1979. g. nestručnom čitaocu su pristupni najvažniji izvodi iz glavnog djela Nagarjune sa popratnim komentarima Candrakirtia. Guy Bugault sada priprema francusku verziju integralnog teksta M K (Madhyamakakarika) ili Izvanredne srednje strofe.

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Obrona jedności bytu w Brahmasiddhi Maṇḍanamiśry. Przykład argumentacji scholastycznej

Author(s): Paweł Sajdek / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2017

Chāndogyopaniṣad 6 comprises as many as two out of six renowned “great sayings” (mahā¬ vākya): tat tvam asi and ekam evādvitīyam. The question arises as to whether the declared in śruti unity of the Absolute Being is to be understood literally or figuratively. The opponent (pūrva¬ pakṣa) presents three arguments for the figurative meaning of the words. Maṇḍana advocates the literal sense of the statement. The debate is a typical example of an Indian philosophical scholastic text. Scholasticism in India and scholasticism in medieval Europe share some characteristic features, though they also differ in many ways.

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The liberation doctrine in Brahmasiddhi of Manḍanamiśra

Author(s): Paweł Sajdek / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2019

The issue of liberation is a recurrent theme in all schools of Indian classical thought. In case of advaita-vedānta it is deeply rooted in ontology. The problem of ontological status of the world was the bone of contention for two competing non-dualist schools of vedānta — vivaraṇa and bhāmatī. Maṇḍana’s Brahmasiddhi can be regarded as an important source of inspiration for the latter. The present paper is an analysis of Maṇḍana’s statements pertaining to the issue of mukti (or mokṣa) in contrast with those of Śankara, the exponent of advaita commonly (though erroneously) considered the creator and the most prominent representative of the school.

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Total helplessness: A critical reconstruction of the concept of enlightenment in the philosophy of Uppaluri Gopala Krishnamurti

Author(s): Robert Trochonowicz / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2022

This paper provides a critical analysis and reconstruction of the concept of enlightenment in the thought of the Indian philosopher Uppaluri Gopala Krishnamurti (1918–2007). The importance and significance of Krishnamurti’s philosophy lies in the fact that he was one of the few Eastern thinkers to engage in a critical discussion with the traditional concept of enlightenment, while offering his alternative views on the subject. Over the centuries, the notion of enlightenment has significantly changed its meaning, becoming increasingly mythologised, just as the figure of the enlightened being has been deified. The title character sheds new light on the concept of enlightenment, pointing in the direction of a systematic rejection of the traditionally religious superstructure that had clung to it over time. The analysed views constitute a rendering of this religious phenomenon from the perspective of the naturalistic paradigm, pointing to its physiological aspect. Thus, from the point of view of the history of Eastern philosophy, his ideas have a strongly innovative character and their introduction to philosophical discourse may significantly change our understanding of the startling concept of enlightenment.

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PRAŚNOPANISAT – UPANIŠAD PITANJA I ODGOVORA

Author(s): Isidora Tolić / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 1/2021

The Praśna Upanishad or the Upanishad of Questions and Answers depicts the conversation of the six wise disciples with the wise Pipalada. The goal of their visit is to acquire the highest knowledge, which can save them from the circle of rebirths. The dialogue is divided into six parts, each of which presents a question from one of Pipalada's visitors. Their conversation refers to the creation of the world, the physiology and psychology of man, the activity of the mind during sleep, the posthumous fate of people, the properties of the life-giving breath, and more. The reader seamlessly moves between considering the principles of the macrocosm and the microcosm, at the same time becoming familiar with the basic principles of Upanishadic thought. This Upanishad dates back to the end of the first century BC or the beginning of our era. According to the choice of the philosopher Śankara, it is considered one of the main Upanishads. After the translation of each of the six questions, there are short remarks, which should serve as an aid to the reader.

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Indian Conceptions of Human Personality (Alan Watts; Karel Werner)

Author(s): Vardo Beridze / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

The interest directed to a person and human being is as old as the history of humankind. The scale of conceptual meaning of a person, its comprehension and study is global. The issues associated with the concept of a person and its structure are studied and discussed by various sciences. They are studied by philosophy, psychology, history, social and political sciences. Philosophical ideas concerning human beings formed and developed in ancient India and China. Philosophical contemplation of the human being was oriented on investigating the human being’s internal nature, the degree of one’s freedom, and perfecting the aim and meaning of life, focusing on the primary unity of the macro and micro cosmos, nature and the human. Attitude to these issues formed in India is characterised by a special perspective which essentially differs from the Western philosophical traditions. Allan Watts, a XX-century British writer and philosopher who is known as an interpreter of Eastern wisdom thinks that the habits and traditions common to Indian society are rather interesting. In the book „Eastern Wisdom and Modern Life“ he discusses the human personality as a social or dramatic mask accepted in everyday life and attempts to thus demonstrate the specificity of Indian attitude to the human personality. As an orientalist and researcher of the philosophy of religion, Karel Werner observes and concludes, that the nature of a human being is still obscure. He thinks that a reasonable definition of the human personality simply states that it has a complex structure and complex dynamic functions. In sum, the research carried out by both of these scientists concluded that the force supporting everything that exists at the phenomenal level and a human person among them is „Brahman“. According to Brahman a human being himself/herself determines and chooses the way and means for his/her perfection and survival. A human being cannot change the world, he/she can change only oneself.

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