Understanding Asian Philosophy

Alexus McLeod is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Colorado State University, USA.

Introduction: Ethical Philosophy in Asian Traditions
Kinds of philosophy
Ethical theories
Asian traditions
Self-cultivation in Asian philosophical traditions—the layout of the book

Part I: Ethics and Self-Cultivation in Ancient China
Early Chinese Philosophy: Map and Timeline

1. The Analects of Confucius
1.1The Life and Legacy of Confucius and the Analects
1.2 Social Harmony
1.3 The “Humane” Person and the “Rites”
1.4 The Virtues of the Family and Community
1.5 A Life of Learning
1.6 The Ideal Person
1.7- Later Confucianism
1.8 Further Resources on Confucianism and Self-Cultivation
1.9 A Short Biography of Confucius
Relevant Questions

2. Zhuangzi and the Daoist Tradition
2.1 Yangism, the Daodejing, Zhuang Zhou, and the Retreat from Society
2.2 The perspective of the dao
2.3 “Fasting of the mind” and “listening ridiculously”
2.4 The use of the useless
2.5 Delighting in “The transformation of the myriad things,” what we truly are, and freedom from suffering
2.6 Later Daoism
2.6 Further resources on Zhuangzi and self-cultivation
2.7 A Short Biography of Zhuangzi
Relevant Questions

Part II: Ethics and Self-Cultivation in Ancient India
Early Indian Philosophy: Map and Timeline

3. The Suttas, Dhammapada, and the Early Buddhist Tradition
3.1 The Buddha and the Early Buddhist tradition
3.2 Suffering and the eightfold path
3.3 Controlling the mind
3.4 The role of compassion and moral conduct
3.5 The role of wisdom and the insubstantiality of the “self”
3.6 The enlightened person and nirvana
3.7 Later Buddhism
a. Early Mahayana
b. Madhyamaka
c. Chan/Zen
d. Pure Land
e. Tantrayana
3.8 Further resources on Buddhism and self-cultivation
3.9 A Short Biography of Siddhartha Gautama, The Buddha
Relevant Questions

4. The Message of the Bhagavad Gita
4.1 The Background--Vedas, Vedanta, and the Mahabharata
4.2 The crisis of choice
4.3 Sacred duty and the fruits of action
4.4 Discipline--knowledge, action, and devotion
4.5 The living universe--Krishna’s revelation and its impact
4.6 The yogi, the realized soul
a. Advaita and Dvaita
b. Devotional schools; Vaishnava
c. Gandhi’s allegorical reading
4.7 Further resources on the Gita and self-cultivation
4.8 A Short Biography of Vyasa and Shankara
Relevant Questions

Conclusion: New Directions in Scholarship

Annotated Bibliography

Index