When we understand that something is a pot, is it because of one property that all pots share? This seems unlikely, but without this common essence, it is difficult to see how we could teach someone to use the word "pot" or to see something as a pot. The Buddhist apoha theory tries to resolve this dilemma, first, by rejecting properties such as "potness" and, then, by claiming that the element uniting all pots is their very difference from all non-pots. In other words, when we seek out a pot, we select an object that is not a non-pot, and we repeat this practice with all other items and expressions. Writing from the vantage points of history, philosophy, and cognitive science, the contributors to this volume clarify the nominalist apoha theory and explore the relationship between apoha and the scientific study of human cognition. They engage throughout in a lively debate over the theory's legitimacy. Classical Indian philosophers challenged the apoha theory's legitimacy, believing instead in the existence of enduring essences. Seeking to settle this controversy, essays explore whether apoha offers new and workable solutions to problems in the scientific study of human cognition. They show that the work of generations of Indian philosophers can add much toward the resolution of persistent conundrums in analytic philosophy and cognitive science.

These Studies in Philosophy represents all the published and only a few unpublished writings of Krishnachandra Bhattacharyya. These published writing date back to 1908, but his characteristic philosophical position assumes definite shape in the writings during the year 1928-36. The publications of the period outnumber and far outweigh those that fall during the previous twenty years. Of the twenty-one tracts published first in two separate Volumes, which in this edition appear as bound together in one, fourteen belong to this period, the others covering the previous years. Prof. Bhattacharyya had a deep study of ancient Indian Philosophy, particularly of Advaita Vedanta, Sankhya, Yoga and Jain Philosophies. Vol. I. contains Prof. Bhattacharyyaês constructive interpretation of these systems. He was also well-versed in classical German Philosophy, particularly that of Kant. His vast and deep study provided the intellectual background in the light of which his profoundly original mind could go on with the work of construction. He constructed a new system of his own which however is not easy to comprehend. Vol. II contains all the basic writings in which Prof. Bhattacharyyaês philosophy has been formulated. In the Introduction to this Volume, the Editor has usefully analysed the Authorês philosophical position in some details.

The literature on Prajnaparamita, vast, deep and vital to an understanding of the Mahayana. It has so far been neglected by the European scholars. With the aim of facilitating the study, the author has set out a certain amount of information about it. Thus this handbook records for the use of scholars the very limited knowledge acquired during the last century.

Maintains that the Yoga-Sutras do not advocate abandonment of the world, but rather support a stance that enables one to live more fully in the world without being enslaved by worldly identification.

Book I Samadhi Pada This book is a Study Guide for the first of the four books of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. It contains the original Sanskrit text with transliteration, English translation, and a word by word breakdown of the translation. There is a thorough commentary on each sutra, which is based firmly in classical yoga, yet written with the Western student in mind. There is an introduction and a comprehensive glossary of the Sanskrit terms used in the text.

Best known for his groundbreaking and influential work in Buddhist philosophy, Mark Siderits is the pioneer of “fusion” or “confluence philosophy", a boldly systematic approach to doing philosophy premised on the idea that rational reconstruction of positions in one tradition in light of another can sometimes help address perennial problems and often lead to new and valuable insights. Exemplifying the many virtues of the confluence approach, this collection of essays covers all core areas of Buddhist philosophy, as well as topics and disputes in contemporary Western philosophy relevant to its study. They consider in particular the ways in which questions concerning personal identity figure in debates about agency, cognition, causality, ontological foundations, foundational truths, and moral cultivation. Most of these essays engage Siderits’ work directly, building on his pathbreaking ideas and interpretations. Many deal with issues that have become a common staple in philosophical engagements with traditions outside the West. Their variety and breadth bear testimony to the legacy of Siderits’ impact in shaping the contemporary conversation in Buddhist philosophy and its reverberations in mainstream philosophy, giving readers a clear sense of the remarkable scope of his work.

Are mystical experiences formed by the mystic's cultural background and concepts, as ""constructivists"" maintain, or do mystics sometimes transcend language, belief, and culturally conditioned expectations? Do mystical experiences differ throughout the various religious traditions, as""pluralists"" contend, or are they somehow ecumenical? The contributors to this collection scrutinize a common mystical experience, the ""pure consciousness event""--The experience of being awake but devoid of intentional content--in order to answer these questions. Through the use of historical Hindu, Buddhist,

The lesser known and explored of the two pillars of Hinduism--=aśrama and var.na--=aśrama is the name given to a system of four distinct and legitimate ways of leading a religious life: as a celibate student, a married householder, a forest hermit, and a world renouncer. In this, the first full-length study of the =aśrama system, Olivelle uncovers its origin and traces its subsequent history. He examines in depth its relationship to other institutional and doctrinal aspects of the Brahmanical world and its position within Brahmanical theology, and assesses its significance within the history of Indian religion. Throughout, he argues that the =aśrama system is primarily a theological construct and that the system and its history should be carefully distinguished from the socio-religious institutions comprehended by the system and from their respective histories.

This book is a coverage of the Mahayana Buddhistic logic of the school of Dignaga. It is in fact the most important work on Buddhist logic ever published. A classic of oriental research, it is founded on a thorough study of original Indian and Tibetan compositions by the great Buddhist logicians. The author was one of the leaders of the St. Petersburg school that did monumental work in the field of Indology during the first quarter of this century.