Buddhist Phenomenology, Culture and Society

It is well known that Buddha began his investigation into the mysteries of life by his acute awareness of the painful aspects of his immediate experiences. His encounter with disease, old age, death and its sorrowful effects were instrumental in developing a whole philosophy based on the fact of suffering (duhkha). In fact, the first noble truth, mundane as it sounds, is in actuality a profound truth uttered under the Bodhi tree of enlightenment. Our life and world are intertwined with not only experiences but problems and dilemma of perceptions and sensations, believing and knowing and action and agency. It is in this direction that the various schools of Buddhism explain, in distinct ways, the meaning of experiences and their relation to our mind and the nature of the person who seeks this understanding. Self-liberation or nibbana is said to be the goal and consequence of such an inquiry when taken to its logical end and the path or marga is the eight-fold noble path. Articles of this book cover certain enquiries in Buddhism like, for example: How does path of ethics (dhamma) that involves a deep transformation of all aspects of one's mental life gives rise to wisdom (panna). How significant and useful are Buddhist concepts of insight (panna), suffering (duhkha) and temporality (anityand) for our philosophical inquiries? How is the self to live in a meaningful way amidst the fact of constant change? To what extent are we really in control of our present and future lives? What is the impact of phenomenological and existential awareness of our surroundings on our moral world views. What is 'Engaged Buddhism' and the impact of Buddhist philosophy in transforming our social world in terms of egalitarianism and social justice, the impact of Buddhist culture on other religious and cultural traditions around the world. What is the significance of the various kinds of literature available on the myths and stories depicting Buddhist philosophy seen for example in the dialogues of Milinda Praśna. It also shows the importance and varieties of meditative practices in Buddhism.

Archana Malik-Goure is faculty of Philosophy since 2003 and convener of the Centre for Buddhist Studies at the Department of Philosophy, University of Mumbai. She has specialized in Indian philosophy (Buddhism and Jainism) with special reference to ethics, logic, contemporary thinkers, and gender studies. Her doctoral thesis is on "Comparative and Reconstructive Study of the Concept of Virtue in Indian and Greek Philosophy". As a convener of the Centre for Buddhist Studies, she has organized many international and national conferences/ workshops/seminars in Buddhism. She has published many research articles in national and international journals of repute.

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