Dialogue and Doxography in Indian Philosophy

Points of View in Buddhist, Jaina, and Advaita Ved?nta Traditions

Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette

• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9780367226138
• eBook ISBN: 9781000032901
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Education Theory & Practice

This is the first book fully dedicated to Indian philosophical doxography. It examines the function such dialectical texts were intended to serve in the intellectual and religious life of their public. It looks at Indian doxography both as a witness of inter- and intra-sectarian dialogues and as a religious phenomenon. It argues that doxographies represent dialectical exercises, indicative of a peculiar religious attitude to plurality, and locate these 'exercises' within a known form of 'yoga' dedicated to the cultivation of 'knowledge' or 'gnosis' ( jñ?na ).

Concretely, the book presents a critical examination of three Sanskrit doxographies: the Madhyamakah?dayak?rik? of the Buddhist Bh?viveka, the ?a?dar?anasamuccaya of the Jain Haribhadra, and the Sarvasiddh?ntasa?graha attributed to the Advaitin ?a?kara, focusing on each of their respective presentation of the M?m??s? view.

It is the first time that the genre of doxography is considered beyond its literary format to ponder its performative dimension, as a spiritual exercise. Theoretically broad, the book reaches out to academics in religious studies, Indian philosophy, Indology, and classical studies.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1 The beginnings of Mādhyamika doxography: Bhāviveka’s MHK
• 2 The beginnings of Jaina doxography: Haribhadra’s ṢDS
• 3 The beginnings of Advaita doxography: Śaṅkara’s SSS
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Index