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Self-cultivation philosophies in ancient India, Greece and China / Christopher W. Gowans.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Gowans, Christopher W., author.
- Series:
- Oxford scholarship online.
- Oxford scholarship online
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Self-culture--India--Philosophy.
- Self-culture.
- Self-culture--Greece--Philosophy.
- Self-culture--China--Philosophy.
- Education, Ancient--Philosophy.
- Education, Ancient.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (xii, 327 pages).
- Place of Publication:
- New York : Oxford University Press, [2021]
- Summary:
- Christopher W. Gowans shows how philosophy played a central role in self-cultivation programs in three ancient cultures. On the basis of a philosophical understanding of human nature, self-cultivation philosophies give an analysis of what is problematic in human life, propose an ideal state of being we can hope to attain, and provide a set of practices (philosophical, moral, therapeutic, or spiritual) we can undertake to achieve this end. This book explains the importance of self-cultivation philosophies in three ancient traditions: India (the Bhagavad Gita, Samkhya and Yoga, and Buddhism), Greece and Rome (Epicureanism, Stoicism, and Pyrrhonian Skepticism) and China (Confucianism, Daoism, and Chan Buddhism).
- Contents:
- 1. What Are Self-Cultivation Philosophies?
- The Concept of Self-Cultivation Philosophy
- The Nature of Philosophy in Self-Cultivation Philosophies
- The Structure of Self-Cultivation Philosophies
- Transformational Texts
- Part I
- Introduction to the Indian Self-Cultivation Philosophies
- 2. The Bhagavad Gita
- Overview
- The Bhagavad Gita as a Self-Cultivation Philosophy
- The Existential Starting Point and the Ideal State of Being
- Human Nature
- Self-Cultivation Practices
- 3. Sāṃkhya and Yoga
- The Sāṃkhyakārikā as a Self-Cultivation Philosophy
- The Metaphysics of the Sāṃkhyakārikā
- The Yoga Sūtras as a Self-Cultivation Philosophy
- The Eight Limbs of the Yoga Sūtras
- The Practices of the Sāṃkhyakārikā and the Yoga Sūtras
- The Ideal State of Being in the Sāṃkhyakārikā and the Yoga Sūtras
- 4. Indian Buddhism
- The Teaching of the Buddha as a Self-Cultivation Philosophy
- Theravada Buddhism: Buddhaghosa
- Mahayana Buddhism: Śāntideva
- Part II
- Introduction to the Greek and Roman Self-Cultivation Philosophies
- 5. Epicureanism
- The Metaphysical Foundations: Nature and Human Nature
- The Ideal State of Being: Hedonism and Tranquility
- The Ideal State of Being: Virtues and Friends
- The Existential Starting Point: Irrational Fears and Groundless Desires
- 6. Stoicism
- Stoicism Early and Late
- The Metaphysical Foundations: Living in Accordance with Nature
- The Ideal State of Being: Virtue
- The Ideal State of Being: Acceptance
- The Existential Starting Point: Emotions
- 7. Pyrrho and Pyrrhonism
- Pyrrho as a Self-Cultivation Philosopher
- Interpreting Pyrrho: Living without Belief.
- Sextus Empiricus as a Self-Cultivation Philosopher: Starting Point and Ideal
- Sextus Empiricus as a Self-Cultivation Philosopher: Practices and Human Nature
- Understanding Pyrrhonism: A Skeptical Way of Life
- Part III
- Introduction to the Chinese Self-Cultivation Philosophies
- 8. Classical Confucianism
- Confucius: Becoming a Gentleman (Junzi)
- Mencius: Cultivating Our Moral Sprouts
- Xunzi: Transforming Our Desires
- 9. Classical Daoism
- Reading the Daodejing: Language and Dao
- The Daodejing as a Self-Cultivation Philosophy
- Reading the Zhuangzi: Perplexity and Dao
- The Zhuangzi as a Self-Cultivation Philosophy
- 10. Chan Buddhism
- Chinese Buddhism and the Emergence of Chan
- Bodhidharma: Principle and Practice
- Huineng: The Samādhi of Oneness
- Linji: Be Ordinary, with Nothing to Do.
- Notes:
- Also issued in print: 2021.
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Description based on print version record.
- ISBN:
- 0-19-094105-7
- 0-19-094104-9
- OCLC:
- 1251738344
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