EASTERN PHILOSOPHY: ORIGIN, INDIAN, BUDDHIST AND CHINESE - PHILOSOPHY - 2025

The oriental philosophy is a compendium of thought that address existential concerns of human beings, which arose in the Middle East, India and China, among other places. These currents of thought began to spread in the world around 5000 years ago.

In most cases they developed in small sections of Asia, and spread for thousands of kilometers. The term "Eastern philosophy" is used to distinguish them from traditional philosophy in the West, and despite being under the same name, most of the time there is not much in common between them.

Until relatively recently, in America and Europe the study of philosophy was limited to the study of Western philosophers. This included the greats of ancient Greek philosophy and others like Descartes, Hegel, or Nietzsche. However, as the world becomes more globalized and connected, the cultural primacy of the West has been challenged.

This has led to the acceptance of Eastern philosophies and traditions. It should be noted that already in the time of the ancient Greeks there was interaction between Eastern and Western thought; indeed, Islamic thought laid the foundation for enlightenment in the West.

Eastern philosophies are considered some of the most intricate on the planet. They are also very popular, since they have a large following in different religious currents and have become increasingly influential in the West: sometimes, they even challenge and counter the assumptions of their counterpart, Western philosophy.

Origin and history

Hindu philosophy

The concepts of this Eastern philosophy directly or indirectly influenced the philosophy of other Eastern philosophical traditions. The origins of Hinduism date back to 3500 BC. C., but does not have a founding figure.

The term "Hindu" comes from the Persian word Hindu, which was the name given to the Indus River region in northern India. In general, "Hinduism" means the religion of the Indus River region.

In its beginnings it was a polytheistic religion, similar to the religion in ancient Greece and Rome. His philosophy raises the pantheistic character of the divine reality (called Atman-Brahman) that permeates the cosmos.

Buddhist philosophy

Buddhism was founded in India by an ancient Hindu monk named Gautama Siddhartha (563-483 BC), better known as Buddha, a term that means "enlightened."

This widely recognized representative of Eastern philosophy came from a wealthy family in what is now the country of Nepal, where his father was a feudal lord.

Before she was born, her mother dreamed that a white elephant entered her uterus through her side. The Hindu priests interpreted the dream as a dual destiny: he would be a universal monarch or a universal teacher.

At the age of 29, Buddha was surprised to learn of the suffering that humans experienced. So he wandered for six years, learning from holy people about the solution to the difficult human situation.

Disheartened by the failures in his quest, Buddha sat under a fig tree and vowed not to get up until he reached supreme awakening. So he stayed awake and meditating all night, and by dawn the next day he had achieved the wisdom he was seeking.

Confucian philosophy

Confucianism was the philosophical current that flourished in China around 500 BC. This flourishing was the consequence of a period of social upheaval known as the Warring States period.

Thus, the philosopher Confucius (551-479 BC) thought that the solution to the problem of anarchy was to return to the ancient Chinese customs of before the social confusion broke out.

To this end, he researched the ancient cultural traditions of China and edited several books on ancient history and literature. In these works he emphasized the importance of virtuous behavior, being the first thinker to do so.

Much of his ethical thinking focuses on four specific themes: ritual behavior, humanity, the superior person, the obedience of the child, and good governance.

At the age of 73 he ceased to exist, but his followers developed his legacy. This ultimately resulted in the flourishing of the Confucian school, which strongly affected Chinese intellectual life for 2000 years.

Principles of Eastern philosophy

Hindu philosophy

The God within

According to this principle, God is within everyone. It is the Atman in the depths of being covered by multiple layers. From the inside, God rules the universe.

For that reason human beings are eternal; they do not die definitively, but they reincarnate since God is immortal.

Reincarnation

As a consequence of the immortal soul of humans, each time they physically die, the soul reincarnates into another human being to live the life of this new being.

This life will be marked by the bad deeds and good deeds of our previous life (karma theory).

Yoga

This is a technique to discover the God of the inner self in each person. To help believers in this task, the Hindu tradition developed a series of yoga techniques.

The term 'yoga' literally means 'yoke' or 'harness' and more generally can be interpreted as 'discipline'.

Monism

It consists of the philosophical view that the universe is made up of only one type of thing. This vision reaches Hinduism for its pantheistic conception of a god that envelops everything.

Buddhist philosophy

Four noble truths

According to tradition, Buddha delivered a discourse to his ascetic (abstinent) friends immediately after his enlightenment.

The content of the speech is the basis of all Buddhist teachings. The speech presents "four noble truths" about the search for enlightenment:

- There is suffering.

- Suffering has a cause.

- All suffering can stop.

- There is a way to overcome suffering.

Improper Questions and the Doctrine of Not-Being

In relation to this principle, the Buddha established that in the search for enlightenment, time should not be wasted on questions that deviate from the objective.

In his opinion, questions like "What is the nature of God?" and "is there life after death?" they should be avoided. According to the Buddha, such speculations did not address the basic problem, which was the achievement of nirvana.

Doctrine of dependent origin

Buddha did not agree with the idea of ​​karma. However, he did not reject her completely, but instead gave her an earthy turn.

According to him, all events are the result of chains of causal events. When the causes of any unfortunate event are searched for, it is found that they are clearly based on wish.

Emptiness and Zen Buddhism

This is a doctrine originating from one of the two branches into which Buddhism was divided around the year 100 BC. C. It is based on the fact that reality is a void even though it exists.

The solution to this contradiction would be found in Zen Buddhism. The Zen approach is based on one of Buddha's discourses known as the Sermon on Flowers.

Confucian philosophy

Ritual behavior

The most important thing among the teachings of Confucius is the total adherence to social norms and customs. For him, rituals and traditions are the visible glue that binds society together.

Humanity and the higher person

According to this principle, humanity is the attitude of kindness, benevolence and altruism towards others. To acquire it, the virtues of dignity and patience must be developed.

Child obedience and good governance

Confucius held that there are five underlying relationships in the order of society: father and son, older and younger brother, husband and wife, older friend and younger friend, and ruler and subject.

Each of these involves a superior and a subordinate, and special duties are required of both parties. In this way, the subordinate person is obliged to show obedience and the superior person to show kindness.

Inherent human goodness

This principle was upheld by Mencius (390-305 BC), a follower of Confucianism. According to this, minds and hearts harbor an inherent tendency toward moral goodness.

Mencius argued that evil is the result of bad social influences that reduce natural moral strength. That strength comes from four specific natural moral virtues: pity, shame, respect, and approval.

Authors and representative works of oriental philosophy

Indian philosophy

Bans

The Vedas - which literally means "bodies of knowledge" - are the sacred text of Hinduism. It was written between 1500 and 800 BC. C. in the ancient Sanskrit language.

Among the religious poets (rishi) who participated in the writing are Angiras, Kanua, Vasishtha, Atri and Bhrigu, among others. The work describes characteristics of various gods, rituals to appease them, and hymns to sing to them.

Puranas

These post-Vedic texts contain a comprehensive discussion of the history of the universe and its creation and destruction, family ties to the gods and goddesses, and a description of Hindu cosmology and world history.

They are usually written in the form of stories told by one person to another. They often give prominence to a particular deity, employing a host of religious and philosophical concepts.

Bhagavad Gita

It is a section of an epic poem called Mahabharata, which was composed over a period of 800 years. The story centers on Prince Arjuna who is desperate to have entered battle against his family.

In this poem the prince expresses his pain to Krishna, who turns out to be the manifestation of the Hindu god Vishnu in human form. Krishna consoles Arjuna with a philosophy lesson on discovering the inner god.

Buddhist philosophy

Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero (1896-1998)

He was a learned Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka and a personality of Theravada Buddhism in the 20th century. In the belief of Sri Lankan Buddhists, he achieved a higher level of spiritual development through meditation.

Most of his books were written in English and in the Sinhalese language. From this wide repertoire, the titles Meditation on Breathing, The Life of the Buddha, Sambodhi Prarthana and Dhamsa Bhava, among others, stand out.

Hajime Nakamura (1912-1999)

He was a Japanese scholar of Vedic, Hindu, and Buddhist scriptures. His publications include Ways of Thinking in the Peoples of the East: India, China, Tibet, Japan, and Indian Buddhism: A Survey with Notes, among others.

Dalai Lama (1391-)

It is a title given to the spiritual leaders of the Tibetan people. They are part of the Gelug or "yellow hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism. This is the newest of the schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

His appointment is successor and the position is for life. The first Dalai Lama was in office from the year 1391. He is currently serving as the 14th Dalai Lama.

Among the works published by the current Dalai Lama are The Path to Enlightenment, The Power of Buddhism, Consciousness at the Crossroads, among many others.

Nikkyo Niwano (1906-1999)

This representative of Eastern philosophy was one of the founders and the first president of the Rissho Kosei Kai organization (Japanese Buddhist religious movement).

His legacy was represented in his Buddhism for Today, A Guide to the Triple Lotus Sutra, A Beginner for Life: An Autobiography, and Invisible Eyelashes.

Chinese philosophy

Fung Yu-lan (1895-1990)

Fung Yu-lan was a representative of modern Eastern philosophy, specifically Chinese. Throughout his life he was concerned with reconciling traditional Chinese thought with Western philosophy.

This effort was represented in works such as A Comparative Study of the Ideals of Life, A New Philosophy of Beginning, New Discourses on Events, New Social Warnings, among other titles.

Confucius (551-479 BC)

Also known by his Chinese name Kung-tse, he is one of the best known representatives of Eastern philosophy. He was a philosopher, social theorist and founder of an ethical system that is still valid today.

His work is reflected in the books Yi-King (Book of mutations), the Chu-King (Canon of history), the Chi-King (Book of songs), the Li-Ki (Book of rites) and the Chun-Ching (Spring and Autumn Annals).

Mencius (372-289 BC or 385-303 or 302 BC)

Mencius is also known by his Chinese names Mengzi or Meng-tzu. He was a Chinese philosopher who has often been described as the successor to Confucius.

His masterpiece was the book Mencius, written in ancient Chinese. This is a collection of anecdotes and conversations by the Confucian thinker and philosopher Mencius. Throughout the play, he talks about issues of moral and political philosophy.

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