Self As Body in Asian Theory and Practice

by Thomas P. Kasulis, Roger T. Ames (Editor), Wimal Dissanayake (Editor)

This book is an investigation of the relationship between self and body in the Indian, Japanese, and Chinese philosophical traditions. The interplay between self and body is complex and manifold, touching on issues of epistemology, ontology, social philosophy, and axiology. The authors examine these issues and make relevant connections to the Western tradition. The authors’ allow the Asian traditions to shed new light on some of the traditional mind-body issues addressed in the West. The concept of body / Eliot Deutsch; Body in social theory / Wimal Dissanayake; Human embodiment / John M. Koller; Indian bodies / Frits Staal; The concept of body in Ayurveda and the Hindu philosophical systems / Gerald James Larson; Self and body in Theravada Buddhism / Wimal Dissanayake; The meaning of body in classical Chinese philosophy / Roger T. Ames; The human body as a microcosmic source of macrocosmic values in calligraphy / John Hay; Tales of Shen and Xin / Mark Elvin; The body, Japanese style / Thomas P. Kasulis; Two contemporary Japanese views of the body / Shigenori Nagatomo; A contemporary scientific paradigm and the discovery of the inner cosmos / Yuasa Yasuo.

384 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1992

About the author

Thomas Kasulis (also published as T.P. Kasulis) is professor of comparative studies and director of the Religious Studies program at Ohio State University.