Nāgārjuna founds the Madhyāmaka (“middle way”) Buddhist tradition by “relinquishing all views” and arguing that everything is “empty.”

Learn about the emergence of different philosophical systems in ancient India, the division of Buddhism into rival intellectual schools, the spread of Sābhas Devada and Theravada Buddhism, the Buddhist philosophy of to be relative, and the beliefs and practices of Buddhism, Jainism, and Hindu systems.

Bharata’s Nāṭya-Śāstra and later works from Kashmir explore the idea of rasa, an emotional response to drama, music, and poetry.

Monima Chadha takes Peter through Buddhist-Hindu debates over mind and self.

Pāyasi and the Cārvāka anticipate modern-day theories of mind by arguing that there is no independent soul; rather thought emerges from the body.

The Cārvāka or Lokāyata tradition rejects the efficacy of ritual and belief in the afterlife, and restricts knowledge to the realm of sense-perception.

Ancient Indian cosmology and the Vaiśeṣika defense of the reality of time and space.

The podcast explores the Vaiśeṣika response to Buddhist skepticism about wholes. It discusses the debate between Vyshechikov philosopher Kanada and Buddhist philosophers on the nature of objects. The chapter also explores examples of causation in ancient Indian philosophy, the concept of substrate cause, and Dharmakirti's argument against temporal parts.

Exploring the Vaisheshika school of philosophy in ancient India that emphasizes a structured world and metaphysical analysis. Discussing Kanada's categories and substance composition, and examining the concept of generality and individuality in his philosophy. Exploring the differences between Niyya and Vyshekha schools and their response to Buddhist anti-realism.

Prof Jha and Prof Jha discuss the theories and later influence of the Nyāya school.