Understanding Asian Philosophy

Introduction: Ethical Philosophy in Asian Traditions Kinds of philosophy Ethical theories Asian traditions Self-cultivation in Asian philosophical traditions-the layout of the book Part I: Ethics and Self-Cultivation in Ancient China Early Chinese Philosophy: Map and Timeline 1. The Analects of Confucius 1.1The Life and Legacy of Confucius and the Analects 1.2 Social Harmony 1.3 The "Humane" Person and the "Rites" 1.4 The Virtues of the Family and Community 1.5 A Life of Learning 1.6 The Ideal Person 1.7- Later Confucianism 1.8 Further Resources on Confucianism and Self-Cultivation 1.9 A Short Biography of Confucius Relevant Questions 2. Zhuangzi and the Daoist Tradition 2.1 Yangism, the Daodejing, Zhuang Zhou, and the Retreat from Society 2.2 The perspective of the dao 2.3 "Fasting of the mind" and "listening ridiculously" 2.4 The use of the useless 2.5 Delighting in "The transformation of the myriad things," what we truly are, and freedom from suffering 2.6 Later Daoism 2.6 Further resources on Zhuangzi and self-cultivation 2.7 A Short Biography of Zhuangzi Relevant Questions Part II: Ethics and Self-Cultivation in Ancient India Early Indian Philosophy: Map and Timeline 3. The Suttas, Dhammapada, and the Early Buddhist Tradition 3.1 The Buddha and the Early Buddhist tradition 3.2 Suffering and the eightfold path 3.3 Controlling the mind 3.4 The role of compassion and moral conduct 3.5 The role of wisdom and the insubstantiality of the "self" 3.6 The enlightened person and nirvana 3.7 Later Buddhism a. Early Mahayana b. Madhyamaka c. Chan/Zen d. Pure Land e. Tantrayana 3.8 Further resources on Buddhism and self-cultivation 3.9 A Short Biography of Siddhartha Gautama, The Buddha Relevant Questions 4. The Message of the Bhagavad Gita 4.1 The Background--Vedas, Vedanta, and the Mahabharata 4.2 The crisis of choice 4.3 Sacred duty and the fruits of action 4.4 Discipline--knowledge, action, and devotion 4.5 The living universe--Krishna's revelation

Alexus McLeod is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Asian/Asian-American Studies at the University of Connecticut, USA.