A History of Early Vedanta Philosophy - Part Two
Book Specification
Item Code: | IDE528 |
Author: | Hajime Nakamura |
Publisher: | MOTILAL BANARSIDASS PUBLISHERS PVT. LTD. |
Language: | English |
Edition: | 2004 |
ISBN: | 9788120819634 |
Pages: | 863 |
Cover: | Hardcover |
Other Details | 8.8" X 6.0" |
Weight | 1.03 kg |
Book Description
From the Jacket:
The history of the Vedanta school is well known since the time of Sankara but its prehistory before Sankara is quite obscure. However, there is a period of a thousand years between the compilation of the major Upanisads to Sankara without loss of the tradition of the Upanisads; there appeared many philosophers and dogmaticians, although their thoughts are not clearly known.
In A History of Early Vedanta Philosophy, the author made clear the details of the pre-Sankara Vedanta philosophy, utilizing not only Sanskrit materials, but also Pali, Prakrit as well as Tibetan and Chinese sources. In this respect, this epoch-making work was awarded the Imperial Prize by the Japan Academy.
Nearly 60 years have already passed since its publication in Japanese. Meanwhile, new research has been reported in such fields as Bhartrhari and the like. Nevertheless, none can take the place of the author's achievement in the field of pre-Sankara Vedanta.
This Part Two is a complete English translation of Vols. III and IV of the Japanese version, with many additions and revisions done by the author himself.
Part One and Two will be important literature indispensable not only to those, who are specialists in the study of Vedanta but also to those engaged in the study of Indian thought in general.
About the Author:
Professor Hajime Nakamura, D.Litt. (University of Tokyo), Honorary D.Litt. (Government of India and Nehru University), was a distinguished scholar of international repute. He was a member of the Japan Academy and was decorated with the highest Japanese awards such as the medal of Culture and the First Order of the Sacred Treasure. Conferred further honorary degrees of Vidyavacaspati by the President of the Republic of India, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, the honorary doctorate by the University of Delhi, Kuppu-Swami Research Institute, Chennai, he was also Visiting Professor at Harvard and Stanford universities. Founder-Director of the Eastern Institute and President of the Eastern Academy, Prof. Nakamura was a versatile and striking genius. He undertook research that was novel, original, and pioneering, and the number of his publications is astonishingly large. It is, however, regrettable that his works are mostly in Japanese.
Among his many scholastic achievements, the first to be mentioned is A History of Early Vedanta Philosophy, here translated into English. Other important works are: The Selected Works of Hajime Nakamura in 40 volumes; The Ways of Thinking of Eastern Peoples; A Grand Dictionary of Buddhist Terms, in 3 volumes; The Illustrated Dictionary of Buddhist Terms, Parallel Developments, A Comparative History of Ideas; The Structure of Logic, in two volumes, and many others.
Preface | i | ||||
Abbreviations and Selected References
| v | ||||
| |||||
Chapter I | General Remarks | 3 | |||
Chapter II | Tibetan Citations of Bhartrhari's Verses and the Problem of His Dates | 9 | |||
Chapter III | Upavarsa | 29 | |||
Section I | Introduction | 29 | |||
Section II | The Man, His Works and His Dates | 31 | |||
Sub-Section I | Upavarsa's Status as an Authority | 31 | |||
Sub-Section II | His Works | 32 | |||
Sub-Section III | His Life and His Dates | 36 | |||
Section III | His Thought | 37 | |||
Appendix | Upavarsa's Doctrine of the Foundation of Letter-Sounds as Seen in the Yogasutravivarana Attributed to Sankara | 46 | |||
I | Introduction | 46 | |||
II | Upavarsa as Cited in the Yogasutravivarana | 47 | |||
III | Significance in the History of Thought | 56 | |||
Chapter IV | Bodhayana | 61 | |||
Section I | Fragments | 61 | |||
Section II | The Man, His Works and His Dates | 76 | |||
Section III | His Thought | 82 | |||
Chapter V | Tanka (Brahmanandin) | 87 | |||
Section I | Fragments | 87 | |||
Section II | The Man, His Works and His Dates | 99 | |||
Section III | His Thought | 100 | |||
Chapter VI | Dravida | 104 | |||
Section I | Fragments | 104 | |||
Section II | The Man, His Works and His Dates | 115 | |||
Section III | His Thought | 120 | |||
Chapter VII | Bhartrprapanca | 128 | |||
Section I | Fragments | 128 | |||
Section II | The Man, His Works and His Dates | 130 | |||
Section III | His Thought | 133 | |||
Sub-Section 1 | His Theory of Knowledge | 135 | |||
Sub-Section 2 | Brahman and Its Evolution | 136 | |||
Sub-Section 3 | Religious Practice | 149 | |||
Chapter VIII | Sabarasvamin | 153 | |||
Section I | The Man, His Works and His Dates | 153 | |||
Section II | Thought: Sabarasvamin's Atman Theory | 155 | |||
Sub-Section 1 | Introduction | 155 | |||
Sub-Section 2 | Characteristics of Sabarasvamin's Atman Theory | 156 | |||
Chapter IX | Bhartrmitra | 170 | |||
Chapter X | Srivatsankamisra | 174 | |||
Chapter XI | Sundarapandya | 176 | |||
Chapter XII | Brahmandatta | 181 | |||
Chapter XIII | Govinda | 185 | |||
Chapter XIV | Mandanamisra | 188 | |||
Chapter XV | Fragmentary Transmissions of Various Differing Theories | 191 | |||
Section I | Different Theories Concerning Atman | 191 | |||
Section II | Heretical Theories Concerning Emancipation | 193 | |||
Section III | Heretical Exegeses of the Brahma-sutra | 194 | |||
Section IV | Commentators on the Chandogya-Upanisad and the Brhadaranyaka-Upanisad | 195 | |||
Section V | Pre-Sankara Commentators on the Bhagavad-Gita - Pisaca, Rantideva, Gupta, et al. | 198 | |||
Section VI | Jnananidhi | 204 | |||
Section VII | Forerunners of the Advaita Theories
| 205 | |||
| |||||
Introduction | 211 | ||||
Chapter I | Interpretations of Some Words and Phrases of the Mandukya-Upanisad and Karika | 214 | |||
Section I | Some Notes on the Verse VII of the Mandukya-Upanisad | 215 | |||
Section II | Some Notes on the Mandukya-Karika | 219 | |||
Sub-Section 1 | Agama | 219 | |||
Sub-Section 2 | Vaitathya (Illusoriness) | 221 | |||
Sub-Section 3 | Advaita | 230 | |||
Sub-Section 4 | Alatasanti | 236 | |||
Appendix | Interpretations of Some Technical Terms that Occur Often in the Mandukya-Karika | 253 | |||
I | Buddha, sambuddha | 253 | |||
II | dharma | 254 | |||
III | paramartha | 255 | |||
IV | The Simile of Alatacakra | 256 | |||
Chapter II | Textual Analysis | 257 | |||
Section I | Various Names of the Mandukya-karika | 257 | |||
Section II | Commentaries on the Mandukya-Upanisad and the Karika | 259 | |||
Section III | Changes in the Authoritativeness of the Mandukya-Upanisad and the Karika | 267 | |||
Sub-Section 1 | The Mandukya-Upanisad and the Karika as Viewed in Early Advaita | 268 | |||
Sub-Section 2 | The Later Status of the Mandukya-Upanisad in India | 272 | |||
Sub-Section 3 | Changes in the Evaluation of the Mandukya-Karika | 274 | |||
1 | Schools other than the Advaita come to take the first chapter of the Mandukya-Karika as a sruti | 274 | |||
2 | The later Advaita school also concurs that the first chapter of the Mandukya-Karika is a sruti | 276 | |||
3 | All four chapters of the Mandukya-Karika come to be regarded as Upanisads | 278 | |||
4 | Conclusion | 280 | |||
Section IV | The Compilation of the Mandukhya-Upanisad and the Mandukya-Karika | 283 | |||
Sub-Section 1 | The Compilation of the Mandukya-Upanisad | 283 | |||
Sub-Section 2 | Examination of the Characteristics of the Chapters of the Mandukya-Karika | 287 | |||
1 | Examination of the First Chapter | 287 | |||
2 | Examination of the Second Chapter | 292 | |||
3 | Examination of the Third Chapter | 296 | |||
4 | Examination of the Fourth Chapter | 297 | |||
5 | Conclusions | 302 | |||
Sub-Section 3 | Gaudapada and the Compilation of the Mandukya-Karika | 307 | |||
Chapter III | Thought | 314 | |||
Section I | The Standpoint to the Karika | 314 | |||
Section II | The Absolute and the Phenomenal World | 317 | |||
Sub-Section 1 | The Four State (padas) of Brahman | 317 | |||
A | The Theory Presented in the Mandukya-Upanisad | 317 | |||
B | The Theory in the First Chapter of the Karikas | 323 | |||
Sub-Section 2 | The Doctrine of Maya | 328 | |||
A | The Theory Presented in the Second Chapter of the Karikas | 328 | |||
B | The Theory Presented in the Third Chapter of the Karikas | 332 | |||
Sub-Section 3 | The Vijnanavada Theory as Presented in the Fourth Chapter of the Mandukya-Karika | 340 | |||
Section III | Practice | 359 | |||
Sub-Section 1 | Meditation on OM (The Theory Presented in the Mandukya-Upanisad and the First Chapter of the Karikas) | 359 | |||
Sub-Section 2 | The Life of Ascetic Wandering Dedicated to Meditation on Atman (The Theory Presented in the Second Chapter of the Karikas) | 362 | |||
Sub-Section 3 | Asparsayoga (The Theory Presented in the Third Chapter of the Karikas) | 365 | |||
Sub-Section 4 | The Practice of Consciousness-Only (The Theory Presented in the Fourth Chapter of the Karikas) | 369 | |||
Section IV | Opposition and Reconciliation of World-Views | 373 | |||
Sub-Section 1 | The Unified Standpoint | 373 | |||
Sub-Section 2 | The Raison d'Etre of Heretical Theories | 374 | |||
Sub-Section 3 | The Avivada (Non-Disputation) Theory | 377 | |||
Sub-Section 4 | Synthesis and Reconciliation of Differing Theories in the Scriptures
| 382 | |||
| |||||
Introduction | 393 | ||||
Chapter I | The Grammarian Bhartrhari: The Man and His Works | 412 | |||
Section I | His Works | 412 | |||
Section II | The Man | 426 | |||
Chapter II | The Position of Bhartrhari in the History of Thought | 430 | |||
Section I | The Tradition of Grammar and Its Revival by Bhartrhari | 430 | |||
Sub-Section 1 | Introduction | 430 | |||
Sub-Section 2 | Bhartrhari's Account of the Tradition of Grammar | 432 | |||
Sub-Section 3 | The Conditions of the Study of Grammar up until Bhartrhari | 436 | |||
I | The Completion of the Samgraha of Vyadi (c.300 BC) | 436 | |||
II | From Vyadi to Patanjali (c.300-150 BC) | 438 | |||
III | The Composition of the Mahabhasya by Patanjali | 438 | |||
IV | The Rise of Heterodox Grammar and the Decline of Orthodox Grammar (150BC. - 200AD.) | 440 | |||
V | The Revival of the Orthodox Grammar by the Master Candra (Latter Half of the Third Century) | 442 | |||
VI | The Restoration of the Study of Grammar by Vasurata (c.400-450) | 444 | |||
Appendix The Date of Candragomin | 448 | ||||
Sub-Section 4 | The Position of Bhartrhari in the History of the Study of Grammar | 455 | |||
Section II | Bhartrhari as Vedantin | 457 | |||
Section III | Bhartrhari and Buddhism | 460 | |||
Sub-Section 1 | The Legend that Bhartrhari was a Follower of Buddhism | 460 | |||
Sub-Section 2 | Bhartrhari as Seen by the Buddhists | 462 | |||
Sub-Section 3 | "Examination of Brahman as Words" (Sabda-brahma-pariksa) in the Tattvasamgraha | 464 | |||
Sub-Section 4 | Bhartrhari's Criticism of the Buddhist Theory | 481 | |||
Sub-Section 5 | Buddhist Influence upon the Vakyapadiya | 489 | |||
Sub-Section 6 | Conclusion | 500 | |||
Chapter III | Bhartrhari the Scholar | 503 | |||
Section I | Bhartrhari's Theory Concerning the Sacred Books | 503 | |||
Section II | The Significance of Bhartrhari's Scholarship as a Grammarian | 507 | |||
Section III | Bhartrhari's Theory on Knowledge | 513 | |||
Appendix | Western Parallels | 529 | |||
Chapter IV | Metaphysics | 531 | |||
Section I | Absolute Brahman | 531 | |||
Sub-Section 1 | Brahman in the True Sense | 531 | |||
Sub-Section 2 | The Argumentation to Prove the Unlimitedness of Brahman | 534 | |||
I | The Negation of Indentity-Difference, Being-Non-Being | 535 | |||
II | The Negation of Change | 539 | |||
III | Comparison with the Traditional Definitions of Brahman | 542 | |||
Sub-Section 3 | Brahman as the Basis of Differentiated Aspects | 545 | |||
Section II | Words | 548 | |||
Sub-Section 1 | The Pre-History of the Metaphysics of Language | 549 | |||
I | Words as the Highest Principle in the Vedas | 549 | |||
II | The Concept of sabdabrahman in Later Upanisads and Epics | 552 | |||
III | The Theory of World Evolution from Word in Orthodox Brahmin Tradition | 554 | |||
Sub-Section 2 | Bhartrhari's Theory of Words | 556 | |||
I | The Relationship between Words and Meaning | 556 | |||
II | Thee Essence of Generality | 567 | |||
Section III | Sphota | 577 | |||
Sub-Section 1 | The Origin of the Concept of Sphota | 577 | |||
I | Formation of the Concept of Sphota | 578 | |||
II | Views on the Exxence of the Word before Bhartrhari | 585 | |||
Sub-Section 2 | The Meaning of Sphota | 589 | |||
Sub-Section 3 | Sentence and Sphota | 602 | |||
Section IV | Evolution of the World | 611 | |||
Sub-Section 1 | The Potential of World Evolution | 611 | |||
Sub-Section 2 | Material Cause of World Evolution | 614 | |||
Sub-Section 3 | Change in the Phenomenal World | 618 | |||
Sub-Section 4 | The Cause of the World and Its Relation to the Phenomenal World | 625 | |||
Sub-Section 5 | The Problem of Contradiction | 630 | |||
Section V | The Individual Self | 632 | |||
Sub-Section 1 | Atman | 632 | |||
Sub-Section 2 | Human Activities | 637 | |||
Section VI | Practice | 648 | |||
Sub-Section 1 | Esteem of the Regulations in the Sacred Texts | 648 | |||
Sub-Section 2 | The Correct Use of Language | 649 | |||
Sub-Section 3 | Liberation | 656 | |||
Section VII | Confrontation and Reconciliation in Views of the World
| 660 | |||
| |||||
Chapter I | The Position of Sankara in the History of Vedanta Philosophy | 671 | |||
Chapter II | A Summary of the History of Early Vedanta Philosophy | 685 | |||
Appendices | |||||
A | Supplement to A Hisoty of Early Vedanta Philosophy, Part One | 697 | |||
I | The Part of "The Vedanta Chapter of Bhavya's Madhyamakahr-daya" | 697 | |||
II | The Part of "The Vedanta as Presented by Bhavya in Madhyamakahrdaya and Tarkajvala" | 712 | |||
III | "upasana" | 715 | |||
IV | Other | 717 | |||
B | Some New Light on Sankara | 722 | |||
I | Conflict between Traditionalism and Rationalism: A Problem with Sankara | 722 | |||
1 | The Significance of the Vedic Scriptures | 722 | |||
2 | Traditionalism and Rationalism | 724 | |||
3 | The Standard of Knowledge | 728 | |||
II | Meditation in Sankara | 734 | |||
1 | Meditation and Yoga | 734 | |||
2 | Special Charcter of Meditation | 736 | |||
3 | Teaching | 737 | |||
4 | The Varieties of Meditation | 738 | |||
5 | Meditation is Action | 742 | |||
6 | The Reward of Teachings | 744 | |||
7 | Practice of Meditation | 749 | |||
8 | Identity and Differences in Teaching | 750 | |||
9 | Conclusion | 754 | |||
10 | Some Remarks in Comparison with Zen Meditation | 754 | |||
III | The Practice of Yoga as is Represented in Sankara's Yogasutra-bhasyavivarana | 756 | |||
IV | The View of Yoga in Sankara's Brahma-sutra Commentary and Its Mediaeval Character | 765 | |||
V | Sankara's Vivarana on the Yogasutra-bhasya | 768 | |||
VI | A Review of V.M. Apte (trnsl.): Brahma-sutra Shankara-bhashya | 776 | |||
VII | An Interview with Sankaracarya of Kancipuram | 781 | |||
Index | 785 | ||||
Postscript | 839 |
**Contents and Sample Pages**