Indian Philosophy: An Introduction to Hindu and Buddhist Thought

by Richard E. King

This book provides an introduction to the main schools of Indian philosophy within both the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Richard King analyzes the schools' different doctrines and compares their approaches to specific philosophical topics -- ontology, epistemology, perception, consciousness, and creation and causality.

While King's main focus is on the ideas as professed by the major schools of thought, he also takes into account the important contributions made by individual thinkers. Among these are Bhartrhari, who helped introduce linguistic analysis into Indian philosophy; Nagarjuna, the reputed founder of the Mahayana or "Middle Way" school; and Asanga, the believed founder of the Yogacara or "Practice of Yoga" school.

This is the first introduction to Indian philosophy written for a western audience to assess Indian thought in its own context and to examine its relationship with the West. King discusses the nature of philosophy in general, examining the shifting usage of the term throughout history. He examines western perceptions of Indian philosophy, exploring the reasons why it has not made substantial inroads into western intellectual discourse.

King argues that western scholars will remain tied to a Eurocentric perspective as long as they continue to ignore the possibility of philosophical thought "East of the Suez." This, he argues, highlights the need for a post-colonial and global approach to philosophy.

Written in a clear and accessible style, the book can be used for courses in religion, theology, and philosophy.

Genres: Philosophy, Buddhism, Hinduism, India, Nonfiction, Religion, Eastern Philosophy

280 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

About the author

Richard E. King, Ph.D. (Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, University of Lancaster, 1993), is Professor Emeritus of Buddhist and Asian Studies at the University of Kent. He was previously Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and has been Professor of Religious Studies at Vanderbilt University and Professor and Chair of the Religious Studies department at Derby University.

Reviews

[Garret Macko · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very high-level introduction to Indian philosophy and made for an especially challenging and slow read, especially because I had little prior knowledge of many of the concepts it presented. Additionally, it was also just incredibly dense—which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I think that, at least for me personally, it made my task of establishing a foundation for further studies within the field a bit more challenging than I hoped it would be. Of course, I don't want to scorn either accurateness or comprehensiveness. Just a matter of personal taste in the form of my preferred learning style.

Lots of great information throughout and many strong, thought-provoking arguments presented in the introduction and conclusion advocating for reworking the way we approach non-western philosophy.

[Kristian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of good information here, but it’s horribly organized and structured. The opening section spends too long trying to defend Indian philosophy against European supremacy, implicitly painting the reader as a dumb chauvinist in need of convincing. Then we get a random chapter about Indian materialism (but nothing about Jainism?). Its description of the Hindu schools is clear, but it takes a confusing approach to the varied Buddhist traditions. And then the meat of the book is organized by topic, not school/philosophy, so we jump around to particular schools on different subjects. Not particularly satisfying

[Ihor Kolesnyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Усі наразі прочитані книги Річарда Кінга мені імпонують стилем. Це один із академічних авторів, який слугує мені зразком написання книги, що не ламає голову, залишає емоційні враження і водночас резонує із власними рефлексіями.

[A. B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great thorough introduction to the diversity in Indian philosophy! Really adored this book.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An introductory textbook to Indian intellectual traditions, organized by philosophical topics (e.g. ontology, epistemology, cosmology, etc) rather than the conventional, and what the author thinks inferior, treatment by chronological order of important philosophers. This way of organizing has the advantage of intellectual coherence, but it also encouraged me to skip topics of less interest to me than others. Despite the attempt to deemphasize history, I came away with clear ideas of which philosophers might be most relevant to South Asian civilization, beyond the familiar Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha). Most notable are later thinkers such as Nāgārjuna (promulgator of Mahayana Buddhism), Bhartṛhari (language as the medium of thought), and Ādi Śaṅkara (formulator of the 'monist' reinterpretation of Hinduism's seeming polytheism that prevails today, at least among educated circles). My intention is to read translations of at least some of these thinkers' texts in the future. One more observation arising from this textbook: Indian philosophers appeared to be much more interested in ontology and epistemology, and less interested in ethics or politics, than their Chinese counterparts. However, this is not so far away from the concern of Greek philosophers (Chinese I encountered in another textbook I concurrently read and I discuss elsewhere on this GoodReads list. Greek I have been exposed to since childhood, because it pervades the European intellectual traditions that dominate American education).

[Nick Mather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. It clearly lays out the different schools of Hindu and Buddhist philosophy - which can be a daunting task. King begins with an introduction to the schools and then takes a topical approach, covering consciousness, ontology and epistemology. There is also a lot of discussion regarding post-colonial critiques and whether philosophy can be Indian. I'm sure I'll be referring to this text many times in the future.

[John]

philosophy,nonfiction

[Jessica Zu · Rating 3 out of 5]

good intro