Fifty Eastern thinkers

444 Pages·2001·1.343 MB·English

by  Wilkinson, Robert;Plant, Kathryn;Collinson, Diané

FIFTY EASTERN THINKERS

Close exposition and analysis of fifty major thinkers in eastern
philosophy and religion form the core of this introduction to a
fascinating area of study. The authors have drawn on the major eastern
traditions, examining founder figures such as Zoroaster, Confucius
and Muhammad, through to modern thinkers such as Mao Zedong,
Nishitani and Gandhi. General introductions to the major traditions
and a glossary of philosophical terms, as well as bibliographies and
recommended further reading for each thinker, make this a
comprehensive and accessible work of reference.
Diané Collinson is author of Fifty Major Philosophers and co-editor
with Robert Wilkinson, of One Hundred Twentieth-Century
Philosophers and A Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century
Philosophers. Kathryn Plant is Associate Lecturer in Philosophy at
the Open University. Robert Wilkinson is Senior Lecturer in
Philosophy at the Open University. His latest book is Minds and Bodies
(Open University Press, 1999).
ROUTLEDGE KEY GUIDES

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and John Fiske
Key Concepts in Cultural Theory
edited by Andrew Edgar and Peter Sedgwick
Key Concepts in Eastern Philosophy
Oliver Leaman
Key Concepts in Language and Linguistics
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Key Concepts in the Philosophy of Education
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Key Concepts in Popular Music
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FIFTY EASTERN
THINKERS

Diané Collinson, Kathryn Plant
and Robert Wilkinson

London and New York
First published 2000 by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002.

© 2000 Diané Collinson, Kathryn Plant and Robert Wilkinson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
has been applied for

ISBN 0-415-20284-1 (Print Edition)
ISBN 0-203-00540-6 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-20624-X (Glassbook Format)
CONTENTS

Introduction ix
Note on the Romanization of Chinese xiii
Part 1: Zoroastrianism 1
Zoroaster (Zarathustra) c.1500/1000 BCE 3
Part 2: Islamic Philosophy 11
INTRODUCTION 11
Muhammad, 570–632 CE 15
Al-Kindi, 812–873 CE 21
Al-Farabi, 870–950 CE 25
Ibn Sina, 980–1037 CE 31
Al-Ghazali, 1058–1111 CE 37
Ibn Rushd, 1126–1198 CE 43
Ibn Arabi, 1165–1240 CE 50
Iqbal, 1876–1938 CE 56
Part 3: Indian Philosophy 63
INTRODUCTION 63
Vardhamana (Mahavira), 599–527 BCE 69
The Buddha, 563–483 BCE 74
Patanjali, 2nd century BCE 81
Badarayana, 2nd century BCE 87
Nagarjuna, 2nd century BCE 95
Vasubandhu, 4/5th century CE 103
Buddhaghosa, 5th century CE 114
Sankara, 788–820 CE 120
v
CONTENTS
Ramanuja, 1016–1100 CE 126
Madhva, 1199–1278 CE 132
Vivekananda, 1863–1902 CE 140
Gandhi, 1869–1948 CE 149
Aurobindo, 1872–1950 CE 158
Radhakrishnan, 1888–1975 CE 167
Part 4: Tibetan Philosophy 179
INTRODUCTION 179
Padmasambhava, 8th century CE 185
Milarepa, 1052–1135 CE 193
Tsong Kha Pa, 1357–1419 CE 203
Part 5: Chinese Philosophy 211
INTRODUCTION 211
Confucius (Kongfuzi) 551–479 BCE 217
Mozi (Mo Tzu) 5th century BCE 226
Mencius (Mengzi) 371–289 BCE 233
Laozi (Lao Tzu) 4th century BCE 240
Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) 369–286 BCE 248
Hanfeizi (Han Fei Tzu) c.280–233 BCE 254
Xunzi (Hsun Tzu) c.320–c.230 BCE 259
Huineng (Hui-Neng) 638–713 CE 266
Fazang (Fa Tsang) 643–712 CE 272
Zhuxi (Chu Hsi) 1130–1200 CE 278
Wang Yangming (Wang Shou-Jen) 1472–1529 CE 283
Dai Zhen (Tai Chen) 1724–1777 CE 288
Kang Youwei (K’ang Yu-Wei) 1858–1927 CE 295
Xiong Shili (Hsiung Shi-Li) 1883–1968 CE 301
Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-Tung) 1893–1976 CE 307
Part 6: Korean Philosophy 319
INTRODUCTION 319
Chinull 1158–1210 CE 323
Yi Yulgok 1536–1584 CE 328
Part 7: Japanese Philosophy 335
INTRODUCTION 335
vi
CONTENTS
Dogen 1200–1253 CE 339
Nichiren 1222–1282 CE 347
Bankei 1622–1693 CE 358
Hakuin 1685–1769 CE 368
Nishida 1870–1945 CE 378
Suzuki 1870–1966 CE 388
Nishitani 1900–1991 CE 396
Glossary 403
General bibliography 413
Index 415

vii

INTRODUCTION

This book is designed to give the interested reader basic information
about fifty major thinkers who belong with those several different
traditions usually classed together by western culture as oriental or
eastern.
One of the main points that will become clear is that this
classification is over-simple, since it blurs distinctions between a
number of schools of thought, some as different from each other as
they are from the schools of the West. We have organized the material,
with the exception of that on Islamic philosophy, under headings which
are broadly geographical, and this arrangement coincides, by and large,
with organization by philosophical tradition. Within each group of
philosophers the material is set out chronologically. For the sake of
simplicity, all dates are given in terms of the Christian calendar.
Differences between them notwithstanding, there is one feature
common to these traditions—at least before the modern period— which
they do have in common and in which they do differ from philosophical
thought in the West since the Renaissance. This common characteristic
is the non-separation of philosophical from religious endeavour. Most
western philosophers of the present day would regard their subject as
distinct from religion, though this would not have been the case, for
example, in the Middle Ages. This distinction or outlook has appeared
in eastern traditions, if at all, only very recently. The consequence is
that in much of what follows the subject-matter is in many cases, of
necessity, deeply informed by religious ideas. Whilst the emphasis in
what we have written is on what in western terms is the philosophical
aspect of the work of the figures concerned, those within these traditions
would generally regard this as a distinction marking no difference of
importance.
This book does not pretend to be a history of the schools of thought
concerned; several libraries would be needed for that, even were all
ix