A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy

A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy is the most comprehensive single volume on the subject available; not only does the Companion offer the non–specialist an in–depth introduction to the central concepts of Buddhism, it presents extensive discussions of Buddhist social and political thought, contemplative practice, issues in applied ethics, and Buddhist social activism.

The contributors list for the Companion includes leading scholars in the field; each engages the latest scholarship to create a wide–ranging survey of the most important ideas, problems, and debates in Buddhist philosophy. The volume will expand readers understanding of the breadth and diversity of Buddhist thought, with many of the chapters written from a comparative perspective.

A conscious effort has been undertaken throughout the volume to create a mainstream bridge between the Western and Buddhist philosophical traditions. The broad coverage of Buddhist thought offers a great deal of flexibility to instructors and students, presenting the most versatile single–volume sourcebook available for constructing a customized syllabus on Buddhist philosophy or comparative philosophical thought.

Notes on Contributors xi

Acknowledgments xviii

List of Abbreviations xix

Introduction 1
Steven M. Emmanuel

Part I Conceptual Foundations 11

1 The Philosophical Context of Gotama s Thought 13
Stephen J. Laumakis

2 Dukkha, Non–Self, and the Teaching on the Four Noble Truths 26
Peter Harvey

3 The Conditioned Co–arising of Mental and Bodily Processes within Life and Between Lives 46
Peter Harvey

Part II Major Schools of Buddhist Thought 69

4 Theravâda 71
Andrew Skilton

5 Indian Mahâyâna Buddhism 86
James Blumenthal

6 Tibetan Mahâyâna and Vajrayâna 99
Douglas Duckworth

7 East Asian Buddhism 110
Ronald S. Green

Part III Themes in Buddhist Philosophy 127

A. Metaphysics 129

8 Metaphysical Issues in Indian Buddhist Thought 129
Jan Westerhoff

9 Emptiness in Mahâyâna Buddhism: Interpretations and Comparisons 151
David Burton

10 Practical Applications of the Perfection of Wisdom Stra and Madhyamaka in the Kâlacakra Tantric Tradition 164
Vesna A. Wallace

11 The Huayan Metaphysics of Totality 180
Alan Fox

12 Forms of Emptiness in Zen 190
Bret W. Davis

13 Between the Horns of Idealism and Realism: The Middle Way of Madhyamaka 214
Graham Priest

B. Epistemology 223

14 A Survey of Early Buddhist Epistemology 223
John J. Holder

15 Reason and Experience in Buddhist Epistemology 241
Christian Coseru

16 The Three Truths in Tiantai Buddhism 256
Brook Ziporyn

17 Spiritual Exercise and Buddhist Epistemologists in India and Tibet 270
Matthew T. Kapstein

18 Yogic Perception, Meditation, and Enlightenment: The Epistemological Issues in a Key Debate 290
Tom J. F. Tillemans

C. Language and Logic 307

19 Language and Logic in Indian Buddhist Thought 307
Brendan S. Gillon

20 Buddhist Philosophy of Logic 320
Koji Tanaka

21 Candrakîrti on the Limits of Language and Logic 331
Karen C. Lang

22 On the Value of Speaking and Not Speaking: Philosophy of Language in Zen Buddhism 349
Steven Heine

23 The Voice of Another: Speech, Responsiveness, and Buddhist Philosophy 366
Richard F. Nance

D. Philosophy of Mind 377

24 Mind in Theravâda Buddhism 377
Maria Heim

25 Philosophy of Mind in Buddhism 395
Richard P. Hayes

26 Cognition, Phenomenal Character, and Intentionality in Tibetan Buddhism 405
Jonathan Stoltz

27 The Non–Self Theory and Problems in Philosophy of Mind 419
Joerg Tuske

E. Ethics and Moral Philosophy 429

28 Ethical Thought in Indian Buddhism 429
Christopher W. Gowans

29 Character, Disposition, and the Qualities of the Arahats as a Means of Communicating Buddhist Philosophy in the Suttas 452
Sarah Shaw

30 Compassion and the Ethics of Violence 466
Stephen Jenkins

31 Buddhist Ethics and Western Moral Philosophy 476
William Edelglass

F. Social and Political Philosophy 491

32 The Enlightened Sovereign: Buddhism and Kingship in India and Tibet 491
Georgios T. Halkias

33 Political Interpretations of the Lotus Stra 512
James Mark Shields

34 Socially Engaged Buddhism: Emerging Patterns of Theory and Practice 524
Christopher S. Queen

35 Comparative Refl ections on Buddhist Political Thought: Aúoka, Shambhala and the General Will 536
David Cummiskey

Part IV Buddhist Meditation 553

36 Buddhist Meditation: Theory and Practice 555
Charles Goodman

37 Seeing Mind, Being Body: Contemplative Practice and Buddhist Epistemology 572
Anne Carolyn Klein

38 From the Five Aggregates to Phenomenal Consciousness: Towards a Cross–Cultural Cognitive Science 585
Jake H. Davis and Evan Thompson

Part V Contemporary Issues and Applications 599

39 Buddhism and Environmental Ethics 601
Simon P. James

40 Buddhism and Biomedical Issues 613
Damien Keown

41 War and Peace in Buddhist Philosophy 631
Sallie B. King

42 Buddhist Perspectives on Human Rights 651
Karma Lekshe Tsomo

43 Buddhist Perspectives on Gender Issues 663
Rita M. Gross

44 Diversity Matters: Buddhist Refl ections on the Meaning of Difference 675
Peter D. Hershock

Further Reading 693

Index 696

Steven M. Emmanuel is Professor of Philosophy at Virginia Wesleyan College, USA. He is the author of Kierkegaard and the Logic of Revelation (1996) and editor of two previous volumes with Blackwell: The Guide to the Modern Philosophers: From Descartes to Nietzsche (2001) and Modern Philosophy: An Anthology (2002). In 2008, he produced and directed an award–winning documentary film entitled Making Peace with Viet Nam.