Early Buddhist Metaphysics: The Making of a Philosophical Tradition (Routlegecurzon Critical Studies in Buddhism)

✍ Scribed by Noa Ronkin

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 296
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Early Buddhist Metaphysics provides a philosophical account of the major doctrinal shift in the history of early Theravada tradition in India: the transition from the earliest stratum of Buddhist thought to the systematic and allegedly scholastic philosophy of the Pali Abhidhamma movement. Entwining comparative philosophy and Buddhology, the author probes the Abhidhamma's metaphysical transition in terms of the Aristotelian tradition and vis-?-vis modern philosophy, exploits Western philosophical literature from Plato to contemporary texts in the fields of philosophy of mind and cultural criticism.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 6
Copyright......Page 7
Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgements......Page 10
Abbreviations......Page 12
Introduction: situating Theravadin doctrinal
thought – towards a comparative Buddhist
philosophy......Page 16
1. The further teaching: Abhidhamma thought in context......Page 34
2. What the Buddha taught and Abhidhamma thought:
from Dhamma to dhammas......Page 49
3. The development of the concept of sabhava and
Buddhist doctrinal thought......Page 101
4. Individuals: revisiting the Abhidhamma dhamma theory......Page 147
5. Causation as the handmaid of metaphysics: from the paticcasamuppada to the Patthana......Page 208
Concluding reflections......Page 259
Bibliography......Page 269
Index......Page 284