Title Self-cultivation philosophies in ancient India, Greece, and China / Christopher W. Gowans

Published New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2021] ©2021

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Description 1 online resource (xii, 327 pages) Contents Cover -- Self-Cultivation Philosophies in Ancient India, Greece, and China -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface -- Abbreviations -- 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 -- Self-​Cultivation Practices -- 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 Self-​Cultivation Practices -- 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 -- Afterword -- References -- Index Summary "The book defends the thesis that the concept of self-cultivation philosophy is an informative interpretive framework for comprehending and reflecting on several philosophical outlooks in India, the Greco-Roman world and China. On the basis of an understanding of human nature and the place of human beings in the world, self-cultivation philosophies maintain that our lives can and should be substantially transformed from what is judged to be a problematic, untutored condition of human beings, our existential starting-point, into what is put forward as an ideal state of being. We are to do this by undertaking a set of therapeutic or spiritual exercises guided by some philosophical analysis. The self-cultivation philosophies in India are expressed in: the Bhagavad Gītā; the Sāṃkhya and Yoga philosophies of Īśvarakṛṣṇa and Patañjali; and teaching of the Buddha and his followers Buddhaghosa and Śāntideva. The philosophies originating in Greece, with subsequent development in the Roman period, are the most prominent Hellenistic approaches: the Epicureanism of Epicurus, Lucretius and Philodemus; the Stoicism of Chrysippus, Epictetus and Seneca; and Pyrrho and the Pyrrhonism of Sextus Empiricus. The self-cultivation philosophies from China are the early Confucian outlooks of Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi; the classical Daoist perspectives of the Daodejing and the Zhuangzi; and the Chan tradition of Bodhidharma, Huineng and Linji"-- Provided by publisher Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on September 02, 2021) Subject Self-culture -- India -- Philosophy Self-culture -- Greece -- Philosophy Self-culture -- China -- Philosophy Education, Ancient -- Philosophy Education, Ancient -- Philosophy China Greece India Form Electronic book LC no. 2021016490 ISBN 0190941030 9780190941055 0190941057 9780190941048 0190941049 9780190941031

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