Philosophy in the Indian tradition is often believed to be essentially religious in character. Even schools like Nyaya and Buddhism correlate their logic and epistemology with a transcendent religious goal. Yet, there exists a purely secular and rational exercise within the Indian philosophical traditionsthe Lokayata/Carvaka school of philosophy. Owing to a lack of substantial literary sources, Lokayata has received only scant attention from scholars till now. This book is the first attempt to examine the philosophical energies inherent in the scattered Lokayata/Carvaka literature. Through a critical analysis firmly grounded in textual evidence, the author presents a systematic philosophical development of the pluralistic interpretation of this school. Claiming that the diversity in the Lokayata school is greater and much more complex than generally imagined, the book explores the cognitive scepticism of Jayarasi, the extreme empiricism popularly attributed to Carvaka, and the mitigated empiricism in its two versions: positivist and common-sense-oriented. It discusses these in a wider philosophical perspective in terms of their implications and their Western parallels.

Lokāyata/Cārvāka: A Philosophical Inquiry

Politics & Social Sciences

Gokhale, Pradeep P.

Philosophy

Oxford University Press

This book offers a systematic and radical introduction to the Buddhist roots of P&#257;tañjala-yoga, or the Yoga system of Patañjali. By examining each of 195 aphorisms (s&#363;tras) of the&nbsp;Yogas&#363;traand&nbsp;discussing&nbsp;the&nbsp;Yogabh&#257;&#7779;ya, it shows that traditional and popular views on P&#257;tañjala-yoga obscure its true nature. The book argues that Patañjali's Yoga contains elements rooted in both orthodox&nbsp;and&nbsp;heterodox philosophical traditions, including S&#257;&#7749;khya, Jaina and Buddhist thought.&nbsp;&nbsp; With a fresh translation and a detailed commentary on&nbsp;the&nbsp;Yogas&#363;tra, the author unearths&nbsp;how several of the terms, concepts and doctrines&nbsp;in Patañjali's Yoga can be traced to Buddhism, particularly the Abhidharma Buddhism of Vasubandhu and the early Yog&#257;c&#257;ra of Asa&#7749;ga.&nbsp;The work presents the&nbsp;Yogas&#363;tra&nbsp;of Patañjali as a synthesis of two perspectives: the metaphysical perspective of S&#257;&#7749;khya and the empirical-psychological perspective of Buddhism.&nbsp;Based on a holistic understanding of Yoga, the study explores key themes of the text, such as meditative absorption, means,&nbsp;supernormal powers, isolation,&nbsp;Buddhist conceptions of meditation and the&nbsp;interplay between S&#257;&#7749;khya and Buddhist approaches to suffering and emancipation. It further highlights several new findings and clarifications on textual interpretation and discrepancies.&nbsp; An important intervention in Indian and Buddhist philosophy, this book&nbsp;opens up&nbsp;a new way of looking at the Yoga of Patañjali in the light of Buddhism beyond standard approaches and&nbsp;will greatly interest scholars and researchers of Buddhist studies, Yoga studies, Indian philosophy, philosophy in general, literature, religion and comparative studies, Indian and South Asian Studies and the history of ideas.

The Yogasūtra of Patañjali: A New Introduction to the Buddhist Roots of the Yoga System

Reference

Routledge India

THE YOGASŪTRA OF PATAÑJALI

Studies in Janism

Marathe, M. P.

Kelkar, M. A.

South Asia Books

Classical work on Buddhist logic; critical edition with English translation.

Vadanyaya of Dharmakirti: The Logic of Debate (Bibliotheca Indo-Buddhica Series No 126) (English and Sanskrit Edition)

Dharmakirti

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