Readings in Eastern Philosophy An Open Source Text Edited by Lee Archie John G. Archie Readings in Eastern Philosophy: An Open Source Text Edited by Lee Archie and John G. Archie Version 0.1 Edition Published March, 2004 Copyright © 2004 Lee Archie, John G. Archie GFDL The current version, Version 0.1, of this open source textbook in philosophy is a work-in-progress and is being released in draft form. The collaborators would be grateful for corrections or other suggestions to this preliminary draft. Please address comments to [email protected] Permission is granted to copy, distribute, and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version, published by the Free Software Foundation, with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. Image Credits. The images in this work have been adapted from the original by resizing, cropping, and processing. Preface, “Why Open Source?"”. Tabulae Rudolphinae : quibus astronomicae. by Johannes Kepler, 1571-1630, NOAA Photo Library (http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/). Historic C&GS Collection,. Chapter 1, Bhagavad Gita. India—Benares—Monkey Temple, Frank and Francis Carpenter Collection [LC-USZ62-125561]; Ruins in Delhi, Caleb Wright, India and Its Inhabitants, 1869; Ornate Royal Carriage, Library of Congress [LC-USZ62-35122]; An Expanding Bubble in Space (alt-detail) [HSTI #PROO-04], GRIN National Aeronautics and Space Administration (http://grin.hq.nasa.gov); An Expanding Bubble in Space (alt-detail) [HSTI #PROO-04]; The Cat’s Eye Nebula (alt-detail) [HSTI #PRC 95-01A] National Aeronautics and Space Administration (http://grin.hq.nasa.gov). Golden Temple, India, Frank and Frances Carpenter Collection [LC-USZ62-5828]; Village in Punjab, Farm Security Administration [LC-USW33-043106-ZC]; Temples of Jammu from distance, World’s Transportation Commission, William Henry Jackson [W7-483]. Chapter 2, “Paper On Hinduism”. Vivekananda; City on the Mountains—India, William Henry Jackson, World Transportation Commission, Library of Congress [W7-471]; Delhi—Ruins of Shershak, William Henry Jackson, World Transportation Commission, Library of Congress [W7-506]; Riverfront, William Henry Jackson, World Transportation Commission, Library of Congress [W7-587]; Delhi—Cashmere Gates, William Henry Jackson, World Transportation Commission, Library of Congress [W7-507]. Chapter 3, “The Four Noble Truths”. Yogi, View of Benares, and Crossing Over, from William Butler, Land of the Veda: Being Personal Reminiscences of India, New York: Calton & Lanahan, 1872; Deer Park, Library of Congress. Chapter 4, “The Noble Eightfold Path”. Brahmin Reading, Caleb Wright, India and Its Inhabitants, Cincinnati, Ohio: J.A. Brainerd, 1858. Indonesia-—Java-—Jogjakarta [i.e. Yogyakarta]. Temple ruins—details of sculpted figures, Frank and Francis Carpenter Collection, Library of Congress [LC-USZ62-95443]; Buddhist Temple, Cambodia, French Postcard, 1905; Photographic Views of Thailand—Temple Wat Prakeu-—Bangkok, Library of Congress [LC-USZ62-5322]; Rice boat on the Irrawaddy heading for Rangoon, World’s Transportation Commission, Library of Congress [W7-599]; Buddhist Room, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Mass., Library of Congress [LC-D4-72635]. Chapter 5, Dhammapada. Bronze Buddha, The American Cyclopædia; China, Kiangsu Province, Soochow, Frank and Francis Carpenter Collection, Library of Congress [LC-USZ62-104037]; China-Burma Highway, U. S. Public Health Service, Library of Congress [USW33-043086-ZC]; Chinese Built Suspension Bridge, Szechwan Province, ChinaFrank and Francis Carpenter Collection, Library of Congress [LC-USZ62-104037]; Bronze Statue of Amida Nyorai, Denjiro Hasegawa, photographer, Library of Congress [LC-USZ62-98646]; Hong Kong Dock Workers, Frank and Francis Carpenter Collection, Library of Congress [LC-US262-118505]; Reclining Buddha, Views of Thailand, Library of Congress [LC-USZ62-5320]; Hong Kong Sampans, Frank and Frances Carpenter Collection, Library of Congress [LC-USZ62-118501]; Hong Kong Rickshaw, Frank and Frances Carpenter Collection, Library of Congress [LC-USZ62-118508]; F. Boileau, Photograph album of the Boileau family’s voyage from England to Australia (1894-1895). Chapter 6, Doctrine Of the Mean.Confucius, Thoemmes Press (http://www.thoemmes.com/gallery.htm); Chinese Gentleman’s Garden, A Pavilion in Pun-Ting-Qua’s Garden; One of the Inner Gates of Peking; Temple of the Five Hundred Gods, The Willow-Pattern Bridge, Great Gateway, Temple of Confucius, from J. Thompson. The Straits of Malacca, Indo-China, and China; or, Ten years’ travels, adventures, and residence abroad New York: Harper & Brothers, 1875. Wood engravings by J. D. Cooper. Chapter 7, Tao Te Ching. Lao Tzu, 18th century French Print; Thirty Spokes, Library of Congress; China Vases, James D. McCabe, The Illustrated History of the Centennial Exhibition Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: National Publishing Company, 1876; Street Scene, Chefang China U. S. Public Health Service [LC-USW33-043083-ZC]; Lotus Flower, Library of Congress; Eddies [theb2710] Chapter 8, The Ten Oxherding Pictures. Ox, Gottsho-Schleishner Collection, Library of Congress [US-USZC2-4153]; Both sets of Ten Oxherding Pictures are from Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, Manual of Zen Buddhism, 1934. Some Copyright Considerations. All text and images in this work are believed to be in the public domain or are published here under the fair use provision of the US copyright law. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with anyone desiring to reuse the item under to GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html). The written permission of the copyright owners and/or other rights holders (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. An independent legal assessment has been made after a search for copyright status of text and images. The texts are presented for your use "as is." Use them at your own risk. No warranties or guarantees as to accuracy or to representation as to copyright status outside the United States is made. If an error occurs in spite of the good faith efforts, the item will be corrected or removed upon notice to [email protected] The U.S. Copyright Office (http://www.loc.gov/copyright/) Circular 22 points out, “Even if you conclude that a work is in the public domain in the United States, this does not necessarily mean that you are free to use it in other countries. Every nation has its own laws governing the length and scope of copyright protection, and these are applicable to uses of the work within that nation’s borders. Thus, the expiration or loss of copyright protection in the United States may still leave the work fully protected against unauthorized use in other countries.” Table of Contents “Preface” ............................................................................................................... i Why Open Source?......................................................................................... i A Note about Selections ................................................................................ii 1. Bhagavad Gita retold by Harry Bhalla .......................................................... 1 Ideas of Interest from the Bhagavad Gita ..................................................... 2 The Reading Selection from Bhagavad Gita................................................. 4 Arjuna’s Dilemma................................................................................. 4 Transcendental Knowledge................................................................... 5 Path of Service...................................................................................... 7 Path of Renunciation with Knowledge ................................................. 8 Path of Renunciation............................................................................. 9 Path of Meditation .............................................................................. 11 Self-Knowledge and Enlightenment................................................... 11 The Eternal Spirit................................................................................ 13 Supreme Knowledge and the Big Mystery......................................... 13 Manifestation of the Absolute ............................................................ 15 Vision of the Cosmic Form................................................................. 15 Path of Devotion ................................................................................. 17 Creation and the Creator..................................................................... 18 Three Modes of Material Nature ........................................................ 19 The Supreme Being ............................................................................ 20 Divine and the Demonic Qualities...................................................... 22 Threefold Faith ................................................................................... 23 Salvation through Renunciation.......................................................... 24 Epilogue—Lord Krishna’s Last Sermon ............................................ 28 Topics Worth Investigating.......................................................................... 29 2. “Paper on Hinduism” by Swami Vivekananda ..........................................