History of Philosophy: India, Africana, China

Peter speaks to Rupert Gethin about the no-self theory, and its implications for Buddhist ethics and meditation practices.

Ancient Indian political thinkers Kautilya and king Ashoka discuss contrasting ideas of ideal political rule. Topics explored include the Ata Shastra treatise on political thought, the disputed authorship and ideas of the Ata Shastra, the pragmatic and cynical approach of Kautilya, the evolution of political rulers in ancient India, and Ashoka's moral authority and use of special ministers.

The Buddha offers two parables to explain the purpose of his philosophical teaching.

The Four Noble Truths of the Buddha, and the function they are supposed to play in our lives.

Exploring the influence and authority of the Brahman's in ancient India. Importance of Pānani's Grammar and the Development of Commentary. Pānini's use of abbreviations, word construction, and the central notion of action. Concept of Kārakas and their significance. Delving into Pānini's guidelines for language rules and the debate over agents and actions.

An interview discussing the Upanishads, their structure and authors, the dialogical nature of the texts, the role of female characters, and the influence of the Upanishads on Buddhism.

The origins of the idea of karma, its moral significance in the Upanisads, and an alternative conception in the Bhagavad Gita.

Explore the role of gods in Indian philosophy and the search for self. Follow Indra's quest for wisdom and self-discovery in the Upanishad as he questions the limitations of each answer. Discover the challenges of finding the self and different ideas of self as an aware entity behind faculties like smell, speech, hearing, and thinking.

The ancient texts known as the Upanisads claim to expose the hidden connections between things, including the self and the world.

The Vedic period sets the context of the Upanisads, Buddhism and Jainism.