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Eastern Philosophy
Hodder Headline (Teach Yourself),
2003
0 340-86751-5,
£8.99
This book
explores the traditions of thought and
wisdom that developed in the Indian sub-continent and the Far East:
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From India, you
have the wealth of ideas, mental disciplines, religious and social
practices that are collectively known as Hinduism, along with the Jain and Buddhist
philosophies that developed within Hindu culture but were critical of Hindu orthodoxy
and therefore emerged as separate traditions.
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From the Far
East, you have the ancient traditions of Confucianism and Taoism, later blending
with Buddhism to form the rich mixture of Chinese
thought.
It also examines
two wisdom traditions that are very different in approach - Tantra and Zen - the one
based on ritual action and the creative use of the imagination, the other with an
intuition of reality that goes beyond concepts.
Together, these
traditions have a history that stretches back three thousand years, and have
contributed vastly, not just to the eastern cultures,
but globally. A book such as this can do no more than point to the central themes
and issues that Eastern Philosophy has addressed, and to outline its main
approaches and conclusions.
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