Classical Indian Philosophy: An Introductory Text

by Jitendra Nath Mohanty

In this comprehensive textbook, renowned philosopher J. N. Mohanty examines the range of Indian philosophy from the Sutra period through the 17th century Navya Nyaya. Classical Indian Philosophy is divided into three parts that cover epistemology, metaphysics, and the attempt to transcend the distinction between subject and object. Instead of concentrating on the different systems, Mohanty focuses on the major concepts and problems dealt with in Indian philosophy. The book includes discussions of Indian ethics and social philosophy, as well as of Indian law and aesthetics. Classical Indian Philosophy is essential reading for students of Indian philosophy at every level.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, India, Hinduism, Indian Literature

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Nathan "N.R." Gaddis]

There is a widely held view that philosophy in the Indian tradition was inseparable from religion just as religion was deeply philosophical. This book, up until this stage, must have amply demonstrated that the first part of that belief is just not true. --J.N. Mohanty


Let’s start with my bug-a-bear (of which, I’m sure, most of this Review will consist), politely as I can :: the phrase “Eastern Philosophy” is too frequently used as an excuse precisely to refuse to do philosophy. Of course what is meant is not philosophy qua thinking, but rather something like religiosity, spirituality, credo, worldview, “deep thoughts”, wisdom-tradition, etc. Kind of like one finds in the phrase “the right car for the right person at the right price that’s our philosophy.” Having a philosophy and philosophizing are two rather distinct and nearly mutually exclusive things.

That bug-a-bear is not unlike my less than impressed reaction to all this talk about existentialism. I used to be a confessing existentialist. I acknowledged my adherence to the tenets of existentialism. I believed what existentialists believed : existence precedes essence ; decisions ; responsibility ;; all kinds of really rather nice things which still tend to tempt me. But my adherence to the tenets of existentialism delayed my beginning to philosophize, to begin thinking ; the thinking which lies behind existentialism being phenomenology. I have no gripe about folks adhering to various sets of tenets, beliefs, propositions, credos, etc ; and I don’t even particularly get myself in a bunch when such is called a philosophy (yes, I do) ; but it’s not philosophy simpliciter and im allgemeinen.

I’m not a particularly good philosopher, but I do know enough to distinguish between thinking and the merely holding of propositions to be true ; the difference between the mere believing and the thinking about, arguing over, defending, and justifying those beliefs held as making claims to being true. [another bug-a-bear ; certain folks who contrast “belief” with “knowledge” ; in epistemology, knowledge is generally taken to be a certain kind of belief].

So to Mohanty’s book, Classical Indian Philosophy. This is not your hippie’s book of Indian philosophy. This is an introduction to a vast philosophical tradition. Listen. This book is 150 pages long. That’s like getting a 150 page introduction to Medieval philosophy or ancient Greek philosophy or 19th century European philosophy. The point from which I read -- what I knew of Indian philosophy amounted to little more than the proposition “veil of maya”, which is analogous to a knowledge of Medieval philosophy consisting wholly of the proposition “God”. There is a lot more to it. A lot. I won’t say I know now much about Indian philosophy, but I’ve got a rough feel for the terrain, a few hooks by which to organize this vast endeavor of human intellect and come a little closer to understanding some small bit about it.

Think you know Classical Indian philosophy? The classical Darśanas (systems) which Mohanty covers (appendix three, wherein he identifies basic texts and doctrines for each system or school) ::
Buddhism
Cārvāka
Jainism
Sāmkhya
Yoga
Vaiśeșka
Nyāya (both Old and New Nyāya)
Pūrva Mīmāmsā
Vedānta
(apologies for my inferior transcription of the Sanskrit ; my keyboard lacks points). Just to note, Yoga is not the calisthenics it is as practiced in the USofA. Buddhism is presented also in its development and not as a simple monolithic set. Note too that there is no Zen here (that’d be Japan). But nine distinct, diverse, and related systems of asking questions and addressing those questions. Overview and introduction is all that can be afforded in so few pages. But what is here, these systems presented as philosophical systems is something I had not encountered before, being as how Indian intellectual traditions and cultures have entered my continent by way of spiritualistic and gnostic snake-oil salesmen (and I apologize for my culture exporting christian snake-oil salesmen). It’s the discovery of philosophy qua philosophy in India which is what fascinates -- but not really the discovery, rather the confirmation via evidence of what I could only have taken to be the case. Of course a culture as developed as India’s would have practiced a sophisticated philosophizing ; but the evidence of such has rarely reached the ears of people on my continent, except in the disguise of Eastern Wisdom, etc.

J.N. Mohanty, professor emeritus of philosophy at Temple University, educated in Calcutta and Göttingen, Husserl and Kant scholar -- I picked up this book for precisely that reason, dead tired of typical orientalist approaches to the variety of cultures typically lumped together as “Eastern”, I needed the evidence of the practice of philosophy qua systematic thinking, something that was not the mere spiritualist mumbo-jumbo of what at best could be various wisdom-traditions. But what about philosophy? And what about this so tired hammer of East vs. West which always sounded more orientalist than respectful. So much for my bug-a-bear.

Mohanty’s Introduction is systematically organized, that is, in contrast with an historical treatment. Major sections discuss the major areas of philosophical inquiry :: epistemology (Pramāna Sāśtra) ; metaphysics (Prameya Sāśtra) ; political, legal, and moral philosophy (Dharma Sāśtra) ; religion and art ; with a final section “Beyond the Pramāna-Prameya Distinction”. In each section Mohanty traces out broad outlines of the positions of the various schools and systems, how they formulate the problems and questions, how each responds to the question, how they relate to each other, how they critique each other. In general Mohanty treats these systems as pertaining wholly to the Indian philosophical traditions with only an occasional reference to Greco-European philosophers such as Hegel, Kant, Aristotle, Frege, Husserl. Which is to say, he presents classical Indian philosophy from out of its own movement and impetus, avoiding the tired compare-and-contrast with European philosophical traditions. Any such comparison would either have been unnecessarily confusing (for those not already versed in Greco-European philosophy) or superfluous (those familiar with such philosophizing will be able to make their own quick points of comparison and relations). However, for those unfamiliar with philosophy qua systematic thinking, I would imagine that this Introduction may be a little steep in the technical department.

There is simply a wealth of information packed into these scant pages. The systematic organization of the book, that in regard to each general area of inquiry Mohanty discusses, such a multiplicity of philosophical systems with which one is likely not already familiar, creates a rather perplexing experience ; of being dropped into a deep end, keeping schools, philosophers, concepts, positions, etc, straight and disentangled -- but which experience is always the case in setting out into new territory. Ever walk into a room full of strangers and a few hours later leave that same room full of acquaintances?

And in this new territory as is the case with any new territory, there is a new vocabulary to learn, a new language -- Sanskrit. Simply necessary. And Sanskrit makes those long compound German words look like children’s building blocks. There is simply no avoiding the presentation of Indian philosophy in the language in which it first emerged. This is not an issue of translation, it is simply the nature of conceptual thinking ; those concepts with which philosophy has to do are imbedded in words, and those words indicate in a way no word-substitution could, exactly what it is that is the concept itself. Learn some Sanskrit ; it won’t bite. But remember too, this is a mere Introduction, a first blush. You will return for more.

Tip for those who would pursue a deeper course into classical Indian philosophy (credit : Friend AC -- for which, thanks). I believe that Mohanty had studied with the Indian philosopher Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (I need to confirm that) whom AC recommends as the next place to go, his two volume Indian Philosophy, Volume 1 which I believe organizes itself more along historical lines. See also Mohanty’s rather intimidating bibliography for general studies of Indian philosophy and for studies of specific schools and systems. I can guarantee that my further pursuit of Indian philosophy will be rather delayed ; my main interest being in having made some contact with evidence for the existence of what I could only have presumed to be a very rich and vast intellectual tradition.



As a final treat, what may be the biggest Sanskrit word I encountered ::
bhogāvacchedakatvamvāśarīrapadapravrttinimittamiti
srsly

[Viji (Bookish endeavors) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want more information on Indian epistemology(pramana-sastra) and Indian ethics, this is the book for you. None of the other prominent authors, like C.D.Sharma, Radhakrishnan and Dasgupta, can give you points on these subjects as clearly as it is described in this book.. I loved the way it was written..

[Kamakana · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you like this review i now have website: www.michaelkamakana.com

210914: in an unusual move, i have decided to increase the rating, to reflect how this compact intro does spur my thoughts, in a kind of metaphysical way as gilles deleuze recommends. there is a series of appendices that spurs this revaluation, the most important an outline summarizing the 'darshana' (schools) of indian thought. i had been frustrated, marking it down, because i was not understanding it, not following a coherent order. this is a mistake, as a glance at the contents page shows the pattern beginning with theories of knowledge-metaphysics-politics, law, morals-religion and art-beyond the knowable cognition/true cognition- in this brief book i am inspired to look at more indian philosophy, of which i had only been familiar with buddhism, and there is no greater value of a book than it encourages you to read another. and another....

this made me realize how limited my indian philosophy knowledge is. as mentioned, buddhist, and of that mahayana, when it is clear that there is an entire history, involving, contesting, the epic 'vedas' of india, the ramayana and the mahabharata. admittedly, i have known of these texts primarily as a sort of indian 'odyssey', but such is a limited appreciation, as these 'vedic' works describe and then justify the entirety of caste structures against which buddhism in particular fought. i did not know the arguments of jains, of which i want to learn more, want to think more. i did not understand how, following the three paths of devotion, ritual (morally correct behaviour in general), knowledge, the atman or self would come to recognize and more- become- brahma. i did not know those aspects, in particular, the doctrine of the law of karma was in the air to such extent no one needed defend or even describe it. this is a causal law, an extension from physical law to metaphysical causality. had read that the buddhists were first to 'ethicize' it, rather than simply alterations of life and death in transmigrations in jain thought, but the hindus also seem to follow this law. the book does try to link to, but also show difference from, the western metaphysical picture in everything from 'quality' to 'epistemology' to 'laws of how cognition works' to 'what is cognitive knowledge' to 'agreed empirical sources'. there is a very brief, tantalizing reference to that western, monotheistic, semitic question on 'the problem of evil'- and how it can not even be formulated in eastern thought, as it expresses that it is in the nature of god to follow this law...

so, ok, i do not 'know' much more indian philosophy now, having read this book, but rather than knowledge i have new ways of thinking. some are extensive lists, changeable lists, of qualities, of doctrines- but it is not that i read this for summation but inspiration. and much as i found those 'guides for the perplexed' on say merleau-ponty or sartre, so engaging, even as only intros, so i find this book...

[Salvatore Familia]

In this comprehensive textbook, renowned philosopher J. N. Mohanty examines the range of Indian philosophy from the Sutra period through the 17th century Navya Nyaya. Classical Indian Philosophy is divided into three parts that cover epistemology, metaphysics, and the attempt to transcend the distinction between subject and object. Instead of concentrating on the different systems, Mohanty focuses on the major concepts and problems dealt with in Indian philosophy. The book includes discussions of Indian ethics and social philosophy, as well as of Indian law and aesthetics. Classical Indian Philosophy is essential reading for students of Indian philosophy at every level.