In our previous post, we discussed how the Buddhist doctrine of Anatta (non-self) may help us overcome the fear of death. We also considered similarities between this Buddhist doctrine and David Hume’s bundle theory. Additionally, other “Eastern religions generally view the self not as a fixed, independent entity, but … a constantly changing process, or an interconnected part of a larger whole. Continue reading Eastern Philosophy On The (Non) Self
In Buddhism, the term anattā … is the doctrine of “non-self” – the idea that no unchanging, permanent self exists… While often interpreted as a doctrine denying the existence of a self, anatman is more accurately described as a strategy to attain non-attachment by recognizing everything as impermanent…1 Continue reading Does The Buddhist Doctrine of Anatta Help Us Overcome The Fear Of Death?
© Darrell Arnold Ph.D.– (Reprinted with Permission)
Laozi
Along with Confucius, Laozi is one of the two main thinkers of importance in the history of Chinese philosophy. Continue reading The Basics of Taoism
Temple of Confucius of Jiangyin, Wuxi, Jiangsu
© Darrell Arnold Ph.D.– (Reprinted with Permission)
https://darrellarnold.com/2018/09/07/confucius-and-confucianism-a-basic-introduction/
Confucius’ life
Confucius, or “Master Kung” as he became known, was born in the city of Lu (now known as Qufu) in the Northeast of China in 551 BCE and he died in 479 BCE. As a child he studied history and music, as well as hunting, fishing, and archery. Confucius exemplified in his own life the rather broad set of competencies and broad minded interests that come to be thought befitting of a well-developed gentleman within the Confucian system of education. He married but divorced. Continue reading The Basics of Confucianism
Dirk Beyer, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons
© Darrell Arnold Ph.D.– (Reprinted with Permission)
https://darrellarnold.com/2018/09/02/hindu-and-buddhist-thought-2/
Buddhist Metaphysics
While some strands of Buddhism have very thick metaphysics, there are some forms with an extremely pragmatic orientation and a general focus on practices. Buddhism rejects that there is an all-powerful, all-knowing creator God. Continue reading Buddhist Metaphyics, Epistmology and Ethics