The centrality of ethics in buddhism: Exploratory essys/ Hari Shankar Prasad

I
Introduction
1. The Centrality of Ethics in Buddhism
• The Significance of Buddhism
• A Naturalistic View of Man in Buddhism
• Hinduism and Christianity: Two Types of
Divinity-based Morality
• Buddhism on the Purification of Mind
• Nagarjuna on Interpretation, Confrontation, and Resolution
• Buddhism on Scriptural Truth-claims
• A Buddhist Response
• The Buddhist Cosmology, Time, and the Teleology
of Karma
• Background to the Buddhist Cosmology
• The Vedic Nature of Man
• Six Destinies of Sentient Beings
• The Three-World Scheme
II
Background to Buddhism
2. The Vedic-Upanisadic-Hindu System of Values
• The Vedic Notion of Value
• The Upanisadic Notion of Value
• Post-Vedic and Post-Upanisadic Value-systems
• The Hindu Concept of Man and Humanity
• The Value of the Organization of Personal Life (Asrama)
• The Social Organization of Humanity in the Srnrtis
• The Varna Theories
• The Hierarchical Types of Values (Purusartha)
• The Sources of Z)/ia/77ia
3. Classical Indian Ethics: An Appraisal
• The Vedic and Upanisadic Concepts of Ethics
• The Non-Vedic Ethical Ideas
• Six Non-Vedic Teachers and their Ethical Doctrines
• Eclecticism of the Vedic Tradition
• Evaluation of the Indian Ethical Concepts by RP
• Svadharma is not Categorical Imperative
• RP on the Nature of Dliantm
• RP on the Bhciguvadifnd
• Eclecticism of the Bhagcivadgltd
• RP's Analysis of Niskdma-kanna and Bhakti
• RP's Analysis of the Concept of Moksa
• Concluding Remarks
III
Buddhism on Ethics and Karma
4. Buddhist Ethics: Integrating Vertical and
Horizontal Developments
'« General Framework
• A Comprehensive Ethical Programme of Buddhism
• The Highest Human Good
• Moral Rules and Moral Ideals
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Moral Rules
• Caste-Morality vs. Virtue-Morality
• Models of Buddhist Ethics
5. The Buddhist Foundation of Morality
• The Vedic and Upanisadic Notions of Morality
• The Buddhist Notion of Morality and its Critique of
the Vedic and Upani.sadic Ethics
• Concluding Remarks
6. The Buddhist Ethicization of Karma, Saiiisara,
and Rebirth
• General Framework
• Issues involved in the Karma Theory
• The Vedic and the Brahmanic Notions of Karma
• Inadequate Ethical Progress in the Upanisads
• The Buddhist Doctrine of Karma
• Cetand as the Determining Factor of Moral Action
• The Twelve-link Formula: Relating Suffering and
Rebirth to Karma
• Nature of the Karmic Consequences
• Mechanism of the Law of Karma
• Denying Anomalies in the Karmic Retribution
7. Ethical Holism of Emptiness in the Madhyamika
Philosophy
• What is Holism?
• Justification for Ethical Holism
• Holism of the Madhyamika
• Madhyamika Disbelief in Reason and Language
• Buddha's Silence and the Madhyamika Philosophy
• Philosophical Theses of the Madhyamika
• The Madhyamika Priority of Higher Values
IV
Buddhism and Interculturality
8. A Buddhist Model of Interculturality: Cultural
Encounters of Buddhism with Hinduism,
Confucianism, and Taoism
• The Framework of Interculturality
• The Cultural Background to Buddhism: Vedic and
Non-Vedic
• Reasons for the Emergence of the Buddha
• Fruitful Cultural Encounters of the Buddha
• Reasons for the Decline of Buddhism in India
• China Before Buddhism: A Survey
• The Characteristics of Confucianism: A Survey
• The Characteristics of Taoism: A Survey
• Buddhism: Its Doctrines, Problems, and Methods
in China
• Growth, Modification, and Sinicization of Buddhism
in China
• Chinese Buddhism: A Product of Cultural Encounters
• Tien-tai School
• Hua-yen School
• Ch'an School
• Ching-t'u School
Buddhism and the Chinese Rulers; Favour, Disfavour,
and Persecution
• A Viable Framework of Interculturality for Future
Looking for the Post-Modern Ideas in the Buddha
and Nagarjuna
• Preamble
• What is Postmodernity?
• The Postmodern Spirit of the Buddha
• Self-Critical Attitude of the Buddha
• Denial of Eternalism and Fundamental Ontology
• Against Creator God and Teleology
• The Buddha's Method of Dialogue
• Emergence of Madhyamika Nagarjuna
• Nagarjuna's Method
• Concluding Remarks
Buddhism on Knowledge,
Reality, and Self
10. Understanding Buddhist Epistemology
• Development of Buddhist Epistemology
• Theory of Knowledge in Diiinaga School
• The Defining Characteristic of Knowledge
• Ascertainment of the Truth of Knowledge
• The Theory of Twofold Appearances
• Self-Cognition and the Truth of Knowledge
• Knowledge is 'Justified True Belief
• Is Knowledge an Activity or a Product?
11. A Buddhist Face of Constructive Realism
• What is Constructive Realism?
• Mind s Creative Role in Cognition
• Analysis of Various Cognitive Situations
• The Buddhist Theses of Constructive Realism
• Concluding Remarks
12. Dreamless Sleep in Vedanta: A Buddhist Critique
• The Vedantic Way of Thinking
• Analysis of the Susupti-related Statements
• Analysis of the Advaita Theses
• The Unanswered Questions.
• Buddhist Critique of the Sou! Theory
• Concluding Remarks
VI
Buddhism and Perspectives on Time
13. A Critique of the Samskrtalaksanas as the
Principle of Change and Temporality
• The Samskrtalaksanas as the Principle of Change
• The Sautrantika Criticism of the Samskrtalaksanas
• The Madhyamika Criticism of the Samskrtalaksanas
14. Buddhism and Leibniz on Time: An Intercultural
Study
• Introduction
• The Buddhist Presuppositions and Theses
• The Buddhist Statements and Arguments regarding
Time and Temporality
• Leibniz's Metaphysical Presuppositions and Theses
• Statements and Arguments regarding Time in Leibniz
• Concluding Remarks
15. Newton and Leibniz on Time: A Controversy between
Absolutism and Relationism
• Newton's Theory of Absolute Time
• Space and Time as Affections of Existing Things
• Leibniz's Theory of Ideal Space and Time
• Acquition of the Ideas of Space and Time
• The Fundamental Difference between Space and Time
• The Two Great Principles of Leibniz
• Concluding Remarks
16. The Problem of Time in Indian Philosophy
• Myths and Images of Time
• Unreality of Time in Post-Vedic Period
• Subjectivity of Time, Change, and Causality
• Time and Duration
• Duration of Specious Present