Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review" Against a Hindu God is a book about the late Indian critiques of Brahmanical conceptions of God. But more than just a study of Buddhist philosophers like Ratnakirti, Parimal G. Patil is interested in what late medieval Indian philosophers have to say to the disciplines of philosophy, theology, religious studies, and South Asian studies. Utilizing the concepts and vocabulary of Sanskrit grammatical theory, Patil constructs a trans-disciplinary space for the comparative philosophy of religion, a vision of the discipline that is both creative and compelling. Scholars routinely note that Buddhist logical and epistemological theories exist in the service of a religious agenda, but few have explained the soteriological dimensions of Buddhist philosophy as clearly as Patil does in this work. A major contribution to the fields of Buddhist and comparative philosophy." -- -- Jose Ignacio Cabezon, University of California at Santa Barbara A penetrating study. -- Stephen Phillips H-Buddhism ...an inviting introduction to the central concerns of Indian forms of logic and to some of its most excellent epistemology, -- Patrick McAllister Journal of Hindu Studies This is a brilliant, erudite, formidable, and intricately argued first book, which shows the arrival of an outstanding Indologist and philosopher. The book calls for concentration and an eye for detail, but it amply rewards the reader. -- Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad Philosophy East and West ...a fascinating and important book... -- Michael D. Nichols Journal of Buddhist Ethics Patil sets a high standard for comparative philosophy. In addition, the work provides a compelling, new interpretation of the place of philosophy on the Buddhist path to liberation. -- Jonathan C. Gold International Journal of Hindu Studies
Table of ContentsList of Abbreviations Introduction 1. Comparative Philosophy of Religions Part 1. Epistemology 2. Religious Epistemology in Classical India: In Defense of a Hindu God 3. Against Isvara: Ratnakirti's Buddhist Critique Part 2. Language, Mind, and Ontology 4. The Theory of Exclusion, Conceptual Content, and Buddhist Epistemology 5. Ratnakirti's World: Toward a Buddhist Philosophy of Everything Conclusion 6. The Values of Buddhist Epistemology References Index
