Philosophy Midterm

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Polytheism

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Many gods/ dieties often associated with forces of nature (vedas are polytheistic)

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Rita

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Cosmic order, in polytheism gods are there to uphold rita. Moral connotation of upholding justice.

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Henotheism

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Many gods and a supreme god. (Vedas believe in a source god, which is superior to the others)

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Monotheism

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One god

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Monism

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Everything is one wity no distinctions between god/humanity/reality. Hard to describe with language as language is based off of distinction (upanishads tat ekam "that one" non-dualism)

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Brahman

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"That which makes great"

Does not have an origin, is the origin. The unchanging ultimate reality that is the ground of all existence.

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Atman

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"Awakening" monist view that there is an underlying oneness that doesnt change, and exists in all creatures. Lies in the cave of the heart. Innermost self, unborn and undying

Impersonal self- underlies pur personality

Subject, not object of conciousness, is the one percieving therefore cannot be perceived. Cannot be known as an object but can be known intimately through the experience of self-awareness

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Bhakti

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Devotion

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Bodhisattva

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Buddhist ideal of an enlightened, compassionate being dedicated to helping others overcome suffering

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Dharma

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The way of truth in action; right-doing. Also used for teachings of the buddha, and sacred duty.

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Basic characteristics of Indian philosophy (9)

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1. Focus on suffering

2. Desire

3. Self-discipline

4. Self-knowledge

5. Liberation/enlightenment

6. unity

7. Karma

8. Truth in experience

9. Dharma

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1. Foucs on suffering

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Physical and emotional, how to alleviate and overcome spiritual suffering

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2. Desire

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When not met or when we get what we dont want, we suffer. Can either satisfy desires (more desires met, the more desires we have), or we can overcome or detach from desires

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3. Self-discipline

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Control your desires, ego, and attachment. What is and what is desired must be made identical.

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4. Self-knowledge

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To know what we are diciplining, understanding our underlying motivations and desires. To be aware of ourselves (meditation). The basis of self-discipline

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5. Liberation/ enlightenment

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Ultimate goal. Free from ego, attachment, and suffering. Escape from rebirth cycle.

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6. Unity

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Become one with the universe, ultimate reality (brahman)

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7. Karma

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"Action" relationship between actions, interconnectedness. Liberation from karma is moksha

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8. Truth in experience

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Indian philosophy focuses on practice over theory. Evidence for philosophy, putting it into practice.

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9. Dharma

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"Law" "duty" "what is right" "virtue" in buddhism it is the teaching of the buddha. Maintaining the order of family, society, cosmos, contribute to wellbeing of others.

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The Vedic Period

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1700-1500 BCE

Aryans, Indus culture, sandkrit speaking. Main texts: Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, Artharva Veda. Four parts to each: samhita (verses to the gods with questions), brahmana (ritual), aranyaka (reflections of rituals), and upanishads (relflections on basic questions and thought). Vedic period is known for the ideas that Brahman is one with Atman, and that life is governed by karma (rebirth cycle)

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The epic period

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Main texts: Mahabharata (contains Bhagavad Gita), and Ramayana

Vedic literature was very sacred, not available to most of the population. Poems and stories were used to trasmit vedic tradition to population.

Treasties of morality (Dharma Shastras) explained hiw the idividual and society should be regulated.

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Period of philosophical systems

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Buddhism- analyisis of suffering, eightfold path,

Janism- way out of karmic bondage Carvaka- completely materialistic (unorthodox, reject vedas)

Nyaya-logical analysis

Vaisheshika- analyze things that are known

Sankhya- relate the self to the world, evolution

Yoga- analyze nature of self to find pure self

Mimasa- self-validity of knowledge and truth of the vedas

Vendanta- rational analysis of atman=brahman

(orthodox)

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Period of great commentaries

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Scholars studied sutras (summaries of analyses, arguments, and answers of the natures of existence), and wrote commentaries on them

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Modern period

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Rexamination of traditions, renrwal of ancient traditions. New interpretations of western philosophy, comparative work.

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Moksha

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Liberation from karma, reincarnation cycle

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Agni

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Vedic diety of fire. Power, destruction, creation, creativity.

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Soma

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Vedic deity of ecstacy and illumination. Expression of concious life.

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Indra

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Vedic diety of thunderbolt. Strength, courage, protection.

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Hymn of origins

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From the Rig Veda, inquires what was prior to existence. Beginning had no cause. Existence formed from a different kind of existence with the protection of a force (father, king, god) primordial oneness (existence and nonexistence divisions of a prior whole) that cannot be known.

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Samsara

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Death-rebirth cycle

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Duhkha- and three levels

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Suffering/ unsatisfactorinessThe human attempt to construct and maintain a sepeprate self First level: Birth, aging, sickness, death, pain, lamentation, greif, despair, association with unpleasant, dissociation with pleasant, unsatisfied desires Second level: resistance to change Third level: attachement to the aggregates and self

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Buddhas 4 signs

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Old man (age), sick man (sickness), a corpse (death), which deeply disturbed him. a recluse at peace (freedom from suffering)

Suffering is not inevitable, even when sickness, old age and death are inevitable

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Interdependant arising

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Everchanging, interrelated nature of existence. Existence is selfless, nothing exists seperately. Whatever rises/ceases is dependant on conditions.

No independant being responsible for existence, existence has no beginning or end

All beings are mutually self-creating

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The middle way

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Concept that to relieve suffering, you cannot satisfy desires in luxury, and you cannot fully remove your desires as an athstetic. Solve the problem of suffering amd death without absolutes. One must overcome attachment to desire. Constituted by the Noble Eigjtfold Path.

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The Noble Fourfold Truth

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1. The truth of what suffering (duhkha) is

2. The truth of the condition arising from suffering

3. The truth that suffering can be eliminated by eliminating its conditions

4. The truth that the way to remove the conditions that give rise to suffering is to follow the Middle Way, constituted by the Noble Eightfold Path

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The first noble truth

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The truth of suffering (duhkha): suffering is birth (rebirth cycle), aging, sickness, death, sorrow and lamentation, pain, greif and despair, association with the unpleasant, dissociation from the pleasant, to not get ones desire. The five aggregates of attachment are suffering (self is a collection of changing aggregates, not a permanent self. Attachment to permanent self = suffering)

Suffering arises when we are at odds with interdependant arising.

1st level- pain and sorrow

2nd level- resistance to change

3rd level- attachment of a self to the processes of existence

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The five aggregates

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Rupa- physical

1. Physical processes (ability to move, bodily functions)

Nama- mental processes

2. Process of sensation (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral feelings) vedana

3. Perceptual processes (perceptions through senses of the mind) sanna

4. Volitional processes (impulses to action) sankara

5. The processes of consciousness (enable one to be aware of the presence of objects and of conciousness itself) vinnana

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The second noble truth

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The origin of suffering is craving (trishna).

Underlying all cravings is the craving for separate and permanent existence. Conditioned by ignorance to the nature of existence.

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The third noble truth

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Cessation of suffering= cessation of craving (detaching from craving)

The resulting state is nirvana "extinguished" peaceful

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The fourth noble truth

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The eightfold noble path/ middle path as the perscription of eliminating craving

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The eightfold noble path/ middle path

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Wisdom

1. Right view

2. Right intention

Moral conduct

3. Right Speech

4. Right action

5. Right livelihood

Mental discipline

6. Right effort

7. Right mindfulness

8. Right concentration

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Right view

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Understanding the noble fourfold truth, the truth of interdependent arising, duhkha is caused by craving for seperate and permanent existence.

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Right intention

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Cultivating love and compassion for all beings will bring happiness therefore act only out of love and compassion. Intention to free oneself from all craving, ill-will, hatred, and violence.

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Right speech

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Aviod talk that hurts oneself or others (lying, slander, impolite/abusive language, malicious/ foolish gossip).

Telling the truth, speak kindly, maintain noble silence when necessary.

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Right action

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No killing, stealing, hurting, immoral sexual acts. Promote peace and respect.

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Right livelihood

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No careers that bring harm to others

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Right effort

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Preventing and getting rid of evil and uneholesome states of mind, bringing in and perfecting wholesome states of mind.

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Right mindfulness

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Being aware and attentive to all of ones activities (body, senses, perceptions, thoughts) how they arise, disappear, are controlled.

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Right concentration

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Focusing ones conciousness

1st stage- focus on gettibg rid of ill-will, lust, bad mental qualities.

2nd- se through/beyond mental activities to awareness of joy and happiness

3rd- go beyond all mental activitiy responsible for joy, finding equanimity

4th- complete equininity and total awareness

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12 conditions of suffering

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1. Ignorance conditions volition

2. Volition conditions conciousness

3. Conciousness conditions the mind-body

4. The mind-body conditions the six senses

5. The six senses condition contract

6. Contact conditions feeling

7. Feeling conditions craving

8. Craving conditions grasping

9. Grasping conditions becoming

10. Becoming conditions birth

11. Birth conditions aging and death

12. In this way all duhkha arises

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Varuna

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God of sky, power of sight "all seeing"

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Ultimate reality various terms

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Tat ekam "that one"

Brahman

Non-dualism

Unable to express with language-distintions needed in language

The origin

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Hymn of origins- rig veda

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Im the beginning there was neither existence nor nonexistence (the beginning has no cause- does not exist in the same was as we percieve existence-through transformation)

Who protected it? (Divine protector)

Then there was neither death nor immortality... that one breathed, without breath, by its own impulse (primordial oneness, beyond what exists and can be named-paradox) (existence and nonexistence a result of dividing a prior whole)

The gods are later than this worlds creation (polytheism)

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Tat tvam asi

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That art thou

Thee teaching of Atman as Brahman:

Shvetaketu becomes concieted thinking he is well learned, and his father scolds him and asks if he has learned the self.

Explains the self as "by one clod of clay all that is made of clay becomes known, the only difference being the name arising from speech where in truth it is just clay"

That which is the subtle essence (brahman), this whole worls had for its Self (atman)

The atman can never become an object and must be experienced

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Chariot analogu

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Self as the rider

Body as the chariot

The intellect as the charioteer

The mind as the reigns

The horses as the senses

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Nirvana

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"Extinguished"

Peace obtained by eliminating suffering

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Buddha

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Enlightened one

Also Siddhartha Guatama after awakening to the truth of suffering

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Dispositional condition

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State of mind/inclinations, processes or factors that sgape pur lives. Ie hatred is a dispositional condition that leads to hateful thoughts, language and behaviour

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Principle of conditioned existence

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When this is, that is

This arising, that arises

When this is not, that is not

This ceasing, that ceases

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The wheel of becoming

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Hub- primary driving forces behind duhkha (ignorance ->craving, aversion)

Between hub and rim- 6 types of samsaristic existence (human, animal, ghosts, demons, deities, beings in hell)

Rim- conditions that give rise to duhkha (ignorance, volition, consciousness, mind-body, six senses, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, becoming, birth, aging and death)

Ignorance is the root condition if duhkha- gives rise to other conditions

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Ignorance

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Absense/ lack of true knowledge

Imposition of a false view

Primary condition of duhka

Gives rise to volition

Most basic ignorance is the lack of awareness of interdependant arising

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Volition

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A previous disposition

A present urge to act

Conditions conciousness

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Fourfold establishment of mindfulness

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A deep and undivided awareness established in:

1. Observation of the body

-breathing

-bodily processes

-activities of the body

-parts of the body

-elemental components of the body

-decomposing of the body

2. Observation of the feelings

See how feelings arise/fade in relation to bodily processes, perceptions, habits, thoughts, other feelings

3. Observatiom of the mind

Not/hating, not/ignorant, not/tense, not/distracted, wide/narrow scope, not/capable of reaching a higher state, not/composed, not/free

4. Observation of the objects of mind

Things pf which the mind can be aware

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Diamond sutra

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Advocates the Bodhisattva way and the practice of mindfulness as.thr way of perfect wisdom. Overcomes the idea of self as existing, everything is an interrelated existence ie wheat is not just wheat, it is also soil, air, water and sun.

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The heart sutra

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Emptibess as an interpretation of interdependant arising, empty of inherent self-existence, no permanence or seperateness

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Gunas

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Empirical, lower self consists of gunas. Basis for all phychological existence.

Sattva-intelectual activity, clear mind, clarity, lucidity, patience, peaceful

Rajas-vigorous action, active, desirous, engaged mind,

Tamas- devotional activity, slow, inactive, dull, dimwitted, lethargic

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Nishkama karma

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Desireless action

No ego attachement to the fruits/consequences of actions

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Jnana yoga

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Path of intuitive knowledge of Atman, mental discipline

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Bhakti yoga

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Path to atman through love and devotion to god, overcpming ego wity selfless devotion

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Karma yoga

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Path to atman through action/ duty, dharma.