Wk 01 Mon, Jan 7. Wk 01 Mon, Jan 7. Syllabus, etc. Goals Readings Assignments Grading Gen l Guidelines. 1:1 Meeting Sign-up Introductions

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1 Wk 01 Mon, Jan 7 Wk 01 Mon, Jan 7 Syllabus, etc. Goals Readings Assignments Grading Gen l Guidelines 1:1 Meeting Sign-up Introductions 1

2 Texts 2

3 Online: Readings for Wed Eastman on academic philosophy, ultimate purpose Potter on Karma 1964: Karma as a natural principle 2001: Parametric typology 1980: Details for Yoga & Advaita theories Feedback due by 11:30 W For each reading: 1. What particularly resonated with you from the assigned readings? 2. What do you find puzzling in the assigned readings? 3. What do you think is worthy of further discussion, from these readings? 3

What are the two most important takeaways of Potter (1964)? What are the two most important takeaways of Potter (2001)?

4 Reflection Due Sat 10am Reflection Cues: Is the critique of academic philosophy put forth in Eastman (2014) fair? Why or why not? How might the Eastman paper affect how you engage with the material of this course? What are the two most important takeaways of Potter (1964)? What are the two most important takeaways of Potter (2001)? What are the two most important takeaways of Potter (1980)? How do the three Potter papers reinforce / diverge from one other? Perspectives Scott Adams, Dilbert, Stephan Pastis, Pearls Before Swine,

5 Course Title Deconstructed: Karma and Free Will in Indian Philosophy Karma Free Will Indian next slide Philosophy Indian vs. Hindu Sanskrit Sindhu = river or ocean. Persian hindū = inhabitant of Hind, country through which the river Sindhu (Indus) flows = non-muslims living in the Indus Valley 5

6 Upaniṣad, Gītā, Kṛṣṇa or Upanishad, Gita, Krishna? Diacritics what & why? Sanskrit phonology 14 vowels 33 consonants Importance of sound Bottom line Survival Guide Survival Guide to Pronunciation Sounds like Sounds like a u in but, a in chamaleon j hard, as in just ā father jh lodge-hut ai as in aisle k as kart au as in loud ṃ nasalization of preceding vowel bh club-hut ṅ ~ n c church ṇ ~ n ch birch-hut ñ like Spanish niña ḍ ~ d o as in go ḍh ~ mud-hut ṛ as in river e say, longer Spanish e ś shun g hard, as in get, go ṣ shun gh log-hut ṭ ~ t ḥ echo of preceding vowel ṭh ~ ant-hill i pin u pull ī machine ū rūle 6

7 Origins of Vedic Culture? Sanātana dharma, eternal dharma Dharma = religion, law, morality, order, justice, ethics, merit, duty Considered anādī, beginning-less Revealed to ṛṣi-s, seers Some historical evidence however BCE Indus Valley Civilization 7

8 Hints of Early Religion? Harappan Priest Proto Shiva? Aryan Invasion/Immigration Theory 8

1500-500 BCE. Vedic corpus composed śruti Veda from vid, to know Maintenance of cosmic order sacrifice to Agni, fire god transports offerings to other gods.

9 BCE. Vedic corpus composed śruti Veda from vid, to know Maintenance of cosmic order sacrifice to Agni, fire god transports offerings to other gods. Brāhmins Date controversy 4 Vedas: Vedas ṚgVeda collection of hymns sung during rituals SāmaVeda chants sung during Soma ritual YajurVeda prose formulas, mantras AtharvaVeda collection of charms & spells for every purpose (health, wealth, sorcery) 9

Vedic corpus Brāhmaṇas theological textbooks explaining all aspects of Vedic rituals Āraṇyakas wilderness texts discussing more secret & dangerous rituals Upaniṣads 600 BCE beg.

10 Vedic corpus Brāhmaṇas theological textbooks explaining all aspects of Vedic rituals Āraṇyakas wilderness texts discussing more secret & dangerous rituals Upaniṣads 600 BCE beg. CE secret teachings, beginnings of philosophical speculations: where do we come from, why are we here, where do we go after death? 500 BCE CE: Challenges Heterodox challenges to Vedic system BCE: The Buddha, Siddārtha Gautama BCE: Mahāvīra, Jain Tīrthaṅkāra Weaken Hinduism Six Hindu Schools of Philosophy develop in response 10

11 400 BCE-200 CE: Development of the Rāmāyaṇa epic 400 BCE-400 CE: Development of the Mahābhārata epic 11

200 BCE-100 CE: Bhagavad Gītā, Song of the Lord More than the Vedas, this is the text studied by the average Hindu smṛti (as opposed to śruti) confirmation of śruti, Vedic dharma, Upaniṣads Message

12 200 BCE-100 CE: Bhagavad Gītā, Song of the Lord More than the Vedas, this is the text studied by the average Hindu smṛti (as opposed to śruti) confirmation of śruti, Vedic dharma, Upaniṣads Message of Kṛṣṇa, reconciling the conflict between doing one s duty and following one s desires At the same time 200 BCE-400 CE: Dharma-śāstras texts prescribing authoritative code of ethics for all of society CE: Yoga Sūtras of Pātañjali text on meditation 8 limbs: yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna, samādhi 12

13 Hndu Philosophical Schools 6 orthodox schools, ~200 BCE Sāṃkhya & Yoga inert matter, spirit and their admixture Nyāya & Vaiśeṣika logic, atomism Mīmāṃsā & Vedānta Vedic exegesis, Upaniṣadic thought Today, only Vedānta and Nyāya schools survive, rest absorbed Heterodox Schools Buddhism Abhidharma Yogācāra Mādhyamika Jainism 13

14 Bhakti, devotion & surrender Seeds in MB, Gītā Purāṇas Starts to come to the fore around 7 th cent. Some Key Terms Karma Dharma Rebirth / Reincarnation Free Will Fatalism 14

15 from kṛ, to do, act Karma = action, or its performance = practice of religious duty = result of action good karma = puṇya, bad karma = pāpa both = bondage OED: The sum of a person's actions in one of his successive states of existence, regarded as determining his fate in the next; hence, necessary fate or destiny, following as effect from cause. Dharma Moral and religious duty Law Custom Good deeds, Merit Virtue Right, n. or adj. Justice 15

Rebirth / Reincarnation Belief that karma is carried forward through successive lifetimes Liberation, mokṣa = freedom from rebirth Same as Freedom? Free Will Political Freedom vs.

16 Rebirth / Reincarnation Belief that karma is carried forward through successive lifetimes Liberation, mokṣa = freedom from rebirth Same as Freedom? Free Will Political Freedom vs. Control over one s actions Up-to-us-ness of choice / action Moral implications? Kleptomania Self-determination vs. Determinism Causal Determinism = Pre-determined Incompatibilism Libertarianism Scepticism 16

p. 19, Thomas Pink. 2004. Free Will: A VSI. OUP.

17 p. 19, Thomas Pink Free Will: A VSI. OUP. Determinism Any event is an effect of a prior series of effects Clockwork Universe Implications for moral responsibility? 17

18 Fatalism Belief that deliberation and action are pointless The future will be the same no matter what we do. It is fated E.g., falling sick recovery Rejected by Determinists Another Perspective New Yorker,

Wk01 Monday, Mar 28. Required Text #1

Wk01 Monday, Mar 28. Required Text #1 Wk01 Monday, Mar 28 26 Required Text #1 1 Required Texts, #2 & #3 Summer Reading 2 The Course Title examined: Intro to Indian Philosophical Literature Intro Indian Philosophical Literature Indian vs. Hindu