eastern-traditions

Eastern traditions offer:

1. Alternative frameworks: Non-dualistic metaphysics, process-oriented ontology
2. Different methods: Meditation, direct experience, paradox
3. Distinct goals: Liberation, harmony, self-cultivation
4. Cross-cultural dialogue: Enriching Western perspectives
5. Practical wisdom: Living philosophies with concrete practices

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Core Framework: The Four Noble Truths

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THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS (Cattāri Ariyasaccāni)

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1. DUKKHA (Suffering/Unsatisfactoriness)

└── Life is pervaded by suffering

└── Not just pain: also impermanence, incompleteness

└── Even pleasure is dukkha (it ends)

1. SAMUDAYA (Origin of Suffering)

└── Craving (tanha) causes suffering

└── Three types: sensory craving, craving for existence, craving for non-existence

└── Ignorance (avijja) underlies craving

1. NIRODHA (Cessation of Suffering)

└── Suffering can end

└── When craving ceases, suffering ceases

└── This is nirvana

1. MAGGA (Path to Cessation)

└── The Eightfold Path

└── Middle Way between indulgence and asceticism

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The Noble Eightfold Path

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THE EIGHTFOLD PATH (Ariya Atthangika Magga)

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WISDOM (Pañña)

├── 1. Right View (samma ditthi)

│ Understanding the Four Noble Truths

└── 2. Right Intention (samma sankappa)

Renunciation, goodwill, harmlessness

ETHICS (Sila)

├── 3. Right Speech (samma vaca)

│ Truthful, harmonious, gentle, meaningful

├── 4. Right Action (samma kammanta)

│ Non-harming, non-stealing, sexual restraint

└── 5. Right Livelihood (samma ajiva)

Ethical occupation

MEDITATION (Samadhi)

├── 6. Right Effort (samma vayama)

│ Prevent/abandon unwholesome, develop/maintain wholesome

├── 7. Right Mindfulness (samma sati)

│ Awareness of body, feelings, mind, phenomena

└── 8. Right Concentration (samma samadhi)

Jhanas (meditative absorptions)

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Key Doctrines

Three Marks of Existence (tilakkhana):

| Mark | Pali | Meaning |

|------|------|---------|

| Impermanence | anicca | All conditioned things change |

| Suffering | dukkha | Attachment to impermanent things causes suffering |

| Non-self | anatta | No permanent, unchanging self |

Dependent Origination (paticca samuppada):

• All phenomena arise in dependence on conditions
• Nothing exists independently
• 12-link chain of causation (ignorance → formations → ... → aging/death)

Emptiness (sunyata) - Mahayana:

• All phenomena lack inherent existence
• Things exist only in relation to other things
• Nagarjuna: emptiness of emptiness
• Not nihilism: conventional reality remains valid

Buddhist Schools

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MAJOR TRADITIONS

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THERAVADA ("Way of the Elders")

├── Pali Canon (Tipitaka)

├── Southeast Asia: Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar

├── Focus: individual liberation (arhat ideal)

└── Abhidharma philosophical analysis

MAHAYANA ("Great Vehicle")

├── Sanskrit sutras, Chinese/Tibetan translations

├── East Asia: China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam

├── Focus: universal liberation (bodhisattva ideal)

└── Key schools:

├── Madhyamaka (Nagarjuna) - Emptiness

├── Yogacara (Vasubandhu) - Mind-only

├── Chan/Zen - Direct pointing

└── Pure Land - Faith and devotion

VAJRAYANA ("Diamond Vehicle")

├── Tantric texts

├── Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal

├── Esoteric practices, ritual

└── Rapid path through transformation

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Buddhist Philosophy of Mind

Five Aggregates (skandhas):

1. Form (rupa) - Physical body
2. Feeling (vedana) - Pleasant, unpleasant, neutral
3. Perception (sanna) - Recognition, interpretation
4. Mental formations (sankhara) - Volitions, emotions
5. Consciousness (vinnana) - Awareness

The "Self" is a process: Not a substance but a stream of constantly changing aggregates. No fixed self behind experience.

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Core Concepts

Dao (道) - The Way:

• Ultimate reality; source of all things
• Cannot be named or fully described
• "The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao"
• Both transcendent and immanent

De (德) - Virtue/Power:

• The Dao's expression in each thing
• A thing's natural excellence
• Cultivated through non-action

Wu Wei (無為) - Non-Action:

• Not inaction but effortless action
• Acting without forcing
• Going with the natural flow
• Water as metaphor: yields yet overcomes

Yin-Yang (陰陽):

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YIN YANG

──── ────

Dark Light

Passive Active

Feminine Masculine

Yielding Firm

Cold Hot

Earth Heaven

Receptive Creative

Key insight: Complementary, not opposed

Each contains the seed of the other

Dynamic balance, not static opposition

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Major Texts

Daodejing (Tao Te Ching) - Laozi:

• ~5,000 characters, 81 chapters
• Poetic, paradoxical, cryptic
• Political and personal wisdom
• "Simplicity, patience, compassion"

Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu):

• Stories, dialogues, arguments
• More philosophical, playful
• Skepticism, perspectivism, freedom
• "The fish trap exists because of the fish"

Daoist Themes

Naturalness (ziran 自然):

• Things as they naturally are
• Self-so, spontaneous
• Against artificiality and force

Simplicity (pu 朴):

• Uncarved block
• Return to natural state
• Against complexity and cleverness

Emptiness (xu 虛):

• Usefulness of the empty
• The hub of the wheel is empty
• Room is valuable because empty

Reversal:

• Softness overcomes hardness
• The lowest place receives all waters
• To be full, first be empty
• Paradox as method

The Butterfly Dream

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ZHUANGZI'S DREAM

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Zhuangzi dreamed he was a butterfly,

fluttering happily, unaware he was Zhuangzi.

Upon waking, he wondered:

Am I Zhuangzi who dreamed of being a butterfly,

or a butterfly dreaming of being Zhuangzi?

Interpretations:

1. Skeptical: We cannot know which is real
2. Transformative: Both states equally real
3. Non-dual: No fixed self; all transformations of Dao
4. Phenomenological: Experience precedes identity

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Core Concepts

Ren (仁) - Humaneness/Benevolence:

• Cardinal virtue
• Love for others, human-heartedness
• "Do not do to others what you would not want done to you"
• Cultivated through relationships

Li (禮) - Ritual Propriety:

• Proper forms of behavior
• Social norms and customs
• External expression of inner virtue
• Creates social harmony

Yi (義) - Righteousness:

• Moral rightness
• Appropriate action in context
• Knowing what should be done

Zhi (智) - Wisdom:

• Moral knowledge
• Practical judgment
• Knowing the right and the good

Xin (信) - Trustworthiness:

• Keeping one's word
• Integrity, reliability
• Basis of social trust

The Five Relationships

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FIVE RELATIONSHIPS (五倫 Wulun)

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1. Ruler ↔ Subject

Benevolence / Loyalty

1. Parent ↔ Child

Kindness / Filial piety

1. Husband ↔ Wife

Righteousness / Obedience

1. Elder ↔ Younger

Gentility / Deference

1. Friend ↔ Friend

Trustworthiness / Trustworthiness

Note: Relationships are reciprocal

Hierarchy balanced by obligation

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The Junzi (君子) - The Exemplary Person

| Trait | Description |

|-------|-------------|

| Cultivates virtue | Constant self-improvement |

| Studies classics | Literary and historical knowledge |

| Practices ritual | Embodies proper forms |

| Acts with ren | Genuine concern for others |

| Serves society | Takes public responsibility |

| Shows integrity | Inner character matches outer conduct |

Contrast: The junzi vs. the xiaoren (小人 small person)

• Junzi: focuses on righteousness
• Xiaoren: focuses on profit

Neo-Confucianism

Key Figures:

• Zhu Xi (1130-1200): Synthesized metaphysics with ethics
• Wang Yangming (1472-1529): Mind as li; innate moral knowledge

Li (理) - Principle:

• The rational structure of reality
• Each thing has its li
• Investigation of things reveals li

Qi (氣) - Vital Force:

• The material/energetic aspect
• Li shapes qi; qi embodies li
• Human nature: li (good) + qi (can be turbid)

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Six Orthodox Schools (Darshanas)

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ĀSTIKA (Orthodox) Schools

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1. SAMKHYA

└── Dualist metaphysics: purusha (consciousness) / prakriti (matter)

└── Evolution of prakriti through gunas

1. YOGA

└── Practical path building on Samkhya

└── Eight limbs (Patanjali's Yoga Sutras)

└── Liberation through meditative discipline

1. NYAYA

└── Logic and epistemology

└── Four pramanas (sources of knowledge)

└── Syllogistic reasoning

1. VAISHESHIKA

└── Atomistic physics

└── Categories of reality (padarthas)

└── Complementary to Nyaya

1. MIMAMSA

└── Ritual interpretation (Vedas)

└── Philosophy of language

└── Dharma as highest good

1. VEDANTA

└── Interpretation of Upanishads

└── Sub-schools: Advaita, Vishishtadvaita, Dvaita

└── Brahman-Atman relationship

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Vedanta: Three Major Schools

Advaita (Non-Dual) - Shankara:

• Brahman alone is real
• World is maya (illusion)
• Atman = Brahman (self = ultimate reality)
• Liberation: knowledge that removes ignorance

Vishishtadvaita (Qualified Non-Dual) - Ramanuja:

• Brahman is real AND includes world and souls
• World and souls are "body" of Brahman
• Difference within unity
• Liberation: devotion (bhakti) to God

Dvaita (Dualist) - Madhva:

• God (Vishnu) distinct from souls and world
• Real plurality
• Liberation: God's grace
• Eternal servitude to God

Core Hindu Concepts

Brahman: Ultimate reality; the absolute

Atman: Self; the inner essence

Maya: Illusion; cosmic creative power

Samsara: Cycle of rebirth

Karma: Action and its consequences

Moksha: Liberation from samsara

Dharma: Cosmic order; duty; righteousness

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Metaphysics

| Tradition | Ultimate Reality | Self |

|-----------|------------------|------|

| Buddhism | Sunyata (emptiness) | Anatta (no-self) |

| Daoism | Dao (the Way) | Natural, relational |

| Confucianism | Heaven (Tian) | Social, cultivated |

| Advaita | Brahman | Atman = Brahman |

Ethics

| Tradition | Basis | Goal |

|-----------|-------|------|

| Buddhism | Reducing suffering | Nirvana |

| Daoism | Harmony with nature | Wu wei |

| Confucianism | Proper relationships | Social harmony |

| Hindu | Dharma (duty) | Moksha |

Method

| Tradition | Primary Method |

|-----------|----------------|

| Buddhism | Meditation, analysis |

| Daoism | Wu wei, simplicity |

| Confucianism | Study, ritual, self-cultivation |

| Hindu | Varies by school (jnana, bhakti, karma yoga) |

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Buddhist Terms

| Term | Script | Meaning |

|------|--------|---------|

| Dukkha | दुःख | Suffering, unsatisfactoriness |

| Nirvana | निर्वाण | Extinction of craving; liberation |

| Samsara | संसार | Cycle of rebirth |

| Karma | कर्म | Action and its results |

| Dharma | धर्म | Teaching; cosmic order; duty |

| Sunyata | शून्यता | Emptiness |

| Prajna | प्रज्ञा | Wisdom |

| Karuna | करुणा | Compassion |

| Bodhi | बोधि | Awakening, enlightenment |

| Sangha | संघ | Community |

Chinese Terms

| Term | Characters | Meaning |

|------|------------|---------|

| Dao | 道 | The Way |

| De | 德 | Virtue, power |

| Wu wei | 無為 | Non-action |

| Ren | 仁 | Humaneness |

| Li | 禮 | Ritual propriety |

| Li | 理 | Principle (Neo-Confucian) |

| Qi | 氣 | Vital energy |

| Junzi | 君子 | Exemplary person |

| Tian | 天 | Heaven |

| Ziran | 自然 | Naturalness |

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Related Thinkers

• Connect to thinkers/ profiles for Buddhist, Daoist, Confucian figures
• Cross-reference with Western thinkers engaging Eastern thought

Related Themes

• thoughts/consciousness/: Buddhist philosophy of mind
• thoughts/free_will/: Karma and determinism
• thoughts/existence/: Sunyata, Brahman, Dao
• thoughts/life_meaning/: Liberation, harmony, cultivation

For New Thoughts

When creating thoughts drawing on Eastern philosophy:

• Use appropriate terminology
• Note tradition-specific context
• Consider comparative angles
• Avoid oversimplification

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• methods.md: Meditation, dialectical, contemplative methods
• vocabulary.md: Comprehensive term glossary
• figures.md: Major philosophers across traditions
• debates.md: Central controversies
• sources.md: Primary texts and scholarship