Eastern Philosophy Exam 3

Idealism

reality is dependent on the mind, nothing exists outside the mind, (if a tree is knocked over, and nobody is there to hear it, idealism believes there was no sound)

Realism

reality is independent of the mind, (if a tree is knocked over, and nobody is there to hear it, the tree still makes a noise)

Process Metaphysics

examines becoming and process rather than being and products, change is the main feature of reality

Gaudapada one substance and idealism

Gaudapada says there is only one substance, brahman, his philosophy is an example of idealism

Sankara

ultimate reality (Brahman) is one,, and the perceived world is an illusion (maya) (think you see a snake but its a rope)

Nirguna

no characteristics

Saguna

are characteristics

The story of the man shot by the arrow

the man refuses treatment for a poisoned arrow wound until he knows who shot him, their caste, where they were from, and what kind of bow and arrow was used. focus on what is essential for well-being and liberation from suffering, rather than getting lost in endless, unanswerable questions

The Buddha as physician and the 4 noble truths

The Buddha is seen as a great physician who uses the Four Noble Truths to diagnose and cure human suffering (dukkha). First truth identifies the disease (dukkha), second finds the cause (craving/attachment), third gives the prognosis (cessation of suffering), fourth prescribes the treatment (8thfold path)

3 marks of existance

Anicca (impermanence), Dukkha (suffering), anatman (no soul)

Anicca as a metaphysical view of reality

anicca (impermanence, always changing (metaphysical view))

Sunyata

emptiness (idea that everything is empty of individual essence we project their essence onto them)

Dependent origination/ interbeing

nothing exists independently; we all exist due to a web of interconnected causes and conditions, forming a changing reality where "when this exists, that exists

Wu

non being

Yu

being

Li

the form that we find

Ch’i

the material force that is there

Yin and yang

opposites but not really, one flows into the other

Tao and te

tao is the way and te is the individual manifestation of tao (effectiveness, charisma) both of these are ultimately real but changing

Tao called tao is not tao

always changing

(Taoist)Chaunt-tzu’s dream is that if the butterfly

change is constant, that is transformation, all changes are equally two and therefore equally good. He dreamed of being a butterfly. When he woke up as himself he now wondered if he was actually dreaming of being a butterfly and just woke up, or if he was a butterfly dreaming of being a man.

Knowledge of the two, Empty mind, and forgetting

actively chasing the two won't work, what will work is an empty mind (open-mind)

Hindu perspectives on the self

there is an atman

The story of the fruit of the nyagrodha tree (fruit/body, seed/ego, essence/atman) and salt in water

A father asked his son to break open a nyagrodha fruit and describe what he saw. The son only saw tiny seeds, and inside those seeds was “nothing.” The father explained that although he could not see it, an invisible essence within the seed becomes the tree—just as the unseen ātman (true Self) gives life to the body. Then the father dissolved salt in water, asking his son to taste water from different spots; everywhere it tasted salty. He taught that although the salt could no longer be seen, its presence was everywhere—just like the ātman, which is invisible but present in all beings.

Samkhya

Reckoning

Purusha

spirit (roughly atman), unobserved observer is the true self

Prakriti

something more basic than matter, gives rise to ego

Buddhist perspectives on self

Anatman (no soul)

The chariot example(reductive) Karma and reincarnation

reality and the self is emergent and when you put the parts of the chariot together the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, there is reincarnation and karma but no atman to carry the karma it is just the karmic residue going forward (continuity without identity)

Siddartha (story/plot)

Siddhartha, son of Brahmin, leaves home with his friend Govinda to seek spiritual fulfillment, they meet the Buddha, whose teachings Govinda follows but Siddhartha declines. He believes enlightenment must come from personal experience rather than instruction, Siddhartha falls in love with Kamala but eventually becomes spiritually empty and disgusted with his life. After leaving everything, he is renewed by the sacred sound “Om” and becomes the companion of the ferryman, learning wisdom from the river itself.

Why/how does the story of siddartha side with the hindu view of self (essay question) (mention know example of river, woods, gavindas vision at end, atman is brahman)

He supports the Hindu view of the self by showing that true understanding comes from realizing atman is brahman. His journey teaches him that the self is not something to be escaped but something to be understood as part of a larger whole. The river symbolizes this Hindu idea clearly: the water comes from all different places, yet it is one continuous reality, reflecting the belief that all forms of existence are connected. Siddhartha’s time in the woods and with the ferryman further deepens this recognition, as nature becomes his teacher—showing him that enlightenment is found in experiencing life. This understanding reaches its peak in Govinda’s final vision, where he sees countless faces and lives merging into one divine reality when he touches Siddhartha’s forehead. That moment illustrates atman is Brahman.

Chaung-tzu, “forget the self”, mirror mind

achieving enlightenment by letting go of ego and attachments, allowing the mind to become a clear, reflection of reality, like a mirror that shows things as they are without holding onto images or judgments, enabling harmony with the Tao

Mu-shin

no mind/empty mind

Koan

 paradoxical riddle

Mondo

question and answer

Taoist view on self

self is part of the universe

Confusion view on self

concerned with group and family harmony

• Wouldn’t say “forget the self”, they want to cultivate the self - they think taoism is too lose and individualistic, harmonize with yourself so you can harmonize with the group

• You are who you are in relation to other people*