Early Buddhism and Its Origins

Abstract

PREFACE ; PART ONE ; THE PHILOSOPHY & SOCIOLOGY OF EARLY BUDDHISM ; SECTION I. INTRODUCTION ; Chapter 1. The Life, Personality and Prophecy of Buddha ; 1. The Life and Personality of Buddha ; 2. Buddha's Leadership ; Chapter 2. The Origins of Religion and Early Buddhism ; 1. The Origins of Religion ; 2. Philosophical and Sociological Analysis of Buddhism ; SECTION II. EVOLUTION OF INDIAN RELIGION AND BUDDHISM ; Chapter 3. The Vedic Religion and the Origins of Buddhism ; 1. Introduction : Vedic Roots of Spiritual Idealism ; 2. Some Aspects of the Origins of the Upanisadic Religion and Philosophy in the Vedas ; 3. Vedic Scepticism as one of the Roots of Buddhism ; Chapter 4. The Post-Vedic Religion and the Origins of Buddhism ; 1. The Development of the Yajna in the Brahmanas: Cult & Myth ; 2. Upanisadic Idealism and Pantheism ; 3. The Religion of the Upanisads ; 4. Monism and the Origins of Monasticism ; 5. The Attitude of the Upanisads and Buddhism towards the Vedas ; 6. The Upanisadic and the Buddhistic Revolt against the Sacrificial system (800 BC-500 BC) ; Chapter 5. The Philosophy of the Upanisads and the Origins of Buddhism ; I. The Fundamental Differences Bet· ween the Upanisadic and the Early Buddhistic Philosophy ; 2. The Influence of the Upanisads upon Buddhism ; 3. Conclusion : The Decline of Vedic Religion and the Rise of Early Buddhism ; SECTION lll. EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS OF EARLY BUDDHISM ; Chapter 6. Buddhist Pessimism ; 1. Introduction ; 2. Pessimism in Pre-Buddhist Indian Culture ; 3. The Truth of Suffering: Pessimism ; 4. The Origin and Extinction of Suffering: Optimism ; 5. The Sociological Study of Buddhist Dukkhavada ; Chapter 7. Anatmavada ; 1. Introduction ; 2. Views Regarding the Atman in the Upanisadic Literature ; 3. Buddha's Theory of Anatta ; 4. Textual References to Atta in the Pali Scriptures ; 5. Indirect Evidence and Implications in support of Buddhist Attavada ; 6. Western Interpreters of Buddhist Non-Soul Doctrine ; 7. Change in the View of C.A.F. Rhys Davids regarding the Interpretation of Anatman ; 8. Conclusion ; Chapter 8. The Philosophy of Rebirth ; 1. Introduction ; 2. History of the Doctrine of Rebirth in India ; 3. Sociological Analysis of the Concept of Rebirth ; Chapter 9. Early Buddhist Ethics ; 1. Ethics in the Pre-Buddhistic Thought ; 2. Evolution of Buddhist Moral Ideas ; 3. The Sociology of Early Buddhist Ethics ; 4. Critical Reflections and Conclusion ; 5. The Gospel of Buddha as a Philosophy of Life ; Chapter 10. Karman, Moral Determinism and Freedom ; 1. Theory of Determinism ; 2. The Concept of Karman in the Vedas, BrahmaQas and the Upanisads ; 3. A Sociological Study of the Origin and Development of the Theory of Karman ; 4. Modifications of the Individualism of Karman in the Upanisads ; 5. The Buddhist Philosophy of Moral Determinism ( Karman) ; 6. Sociological Implications of Moral Determinism ; 7. Conclusion ; Chapter 11. The Concept of NirviilJa ; 1. Conceptual Analysis of NirviiQa ; 2. Nirvana as the Extinction of Pain ; (a) Implication of the Extinction of Pain ; (b) Nirvat;m as Bliss ; (c) NirviiQa and Mysticism ; (d) Miira and Buddha's ParinirviiQa: An Anthropological Study of the Nature and Personality of Miira ; (e) NirviiQa and a Philosophy of Life ; 3. NirviiQa as the Negation of Empiric Phenomena ; 4. NirvaQa as Utter Extinction ; 5. NirviiQa as the Absolute ; 6. NirviiQa according to the Aphidhamma ; 7. Factors for the Silence Regarding NirvaQic Metaphysics ; 8. Sociology of Nirvana ; Chapter 12. Early Buddhist Mysticism ; SECTION IV. YOGA, SAMKHYA AND BUDDHISM ; Chapter 13. Yoga and Early Buddhism ; 1. Yogic Ideas in the Vedic Literature ; 2. Yoga and the Upanisads ; 3. Yoga and Early Buddhist Religion and Philosophy ; 4. Buddhism and Patafijala-Yoga ; 5. Sociological Approach to Yoga ; Chapter 14. Siimkhya and Early Buddhism ; A. Origins of Siimkhya Thought and Philosophy ; 1. Introduction ; 2. The Vedic Roots of the Samkhya ; (a) Materialism or Hylozoism in the Niisadiya Siikta ; (b) Origin of the Concept of Prakrti in the Vedas ; (c) The Vedic Origins of Gunavada, Naturalism and Dualism ; 3. The Upanisads and the Samkhya ; (a) Refutation of the Views of Deussen, Dahlmann, Keith and Barua ; (b) Vedic, and not Upani~adic, Roots of the Siimkhya ; B. Buddhism and Samkhya ; 4. Summary and Conclusion ; PART TWO ; BUDDHISM AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES ; Chapter 15. The Economic Foundations of barly Buddhism ; 1. Economic Causation ana Religion ; 2. The Economic Background of Buddhism ; (a) Trade and Commerce ; (b) Economic Position of the Brahmin Class ; (c) Economic Support to Buddhism ; (d) The Influence of the Contemporary Economy upon Buddhism ; Chapter 16. The Positical Foundations of Early Buddhism ; 1. Buddhism as an Eastern Indian Movement ; 2. The Political Background of Buddhism ; Chapter 17. The Social Foundations of Early Buddhism ; 1. Introduction ; 2. Buddhism as a Social Movement: The Relation between the Vedicists and the Early Buddhists ; 3. The Social Foundations of the Buddhistic Movement ; 4. Buddha's Technics for Social Integration ; 5. The Sociology of Buddhist Monachism ; Chapter 18. The Anthropological Foundations of Early Buddhism ; 1. Introduction ; 2. Anthropological Foundations of Early Buddhism ; Chapter 19. Early Buddhism and the Methodology of Social and Political Research ; PART THREE; APPENDICES ; 1. Buddhist Nihilism ; 1. Philosophical Factors for the Emergence of Nihilism ; 2. Origins of Buddhist Nihilism and Niigiirjuna ; 3. Criticism of the Positive Interpretation of Miidhyamika Philosophy ; 4. Critique of Nihilism ; 2. Asoka and Buddhism ; 3. Buddha and Dayiinanda ; 1. Vedism and Anti-Vedism ; 2. Metaphysics and Mysticism ; 3. Psychology ; 4. Views Regarding the Universe ; 5. Ethical Idealism ; 6. The Social Philosophy of Buddha and Daya-nanda ; 7. The Political Philosophy of Buddha and Dayiinanda ; 8. Conclusion ; 4. Buddha and Sri Aurobindo ; 1. Introduction : Personality and Influence ; 2. Methodology of Superior Knowledge: Rationalism and Intuitionism ; 3. Ontological Speculations ; 4. Aniitman and the Human Self ; 5. The Problem of Pain ; 6. Conclusion: Plea for Increasing Synthesis ; 5. Sri Aurobindo's Interpretation of Buddhist Philosophy ; 6. Buddha and Marx ; 1. Introduction ; 2. Ontology and Dialectics ; 3. Philosophy of Religion ; 4. Philosophy of History ; 5. Assessment of the Roles of Buddha and Marx in History ; 7. Narendra Deva's Interpretation of Buddhist Philosophy ; Bibliography ; Index ;