Michael S. Allen

The Ocean of Inquiry (eBook, PDF)

Niscaldas and the Premodern Origins of Modern Hinduism

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

Advaita Vedanta is one of the best-known schools of Indian philosophy, but much of its history--a history closely interwoven with that of medieval and modern Hinduism--remains surprisingly unexplored. This book focuses on a single remarkable work and its place within that history: The Ocean of Inquiry, a vernacular compendium of Advaita Vedanta by the North Indian monk Niscaldas (ca. 1791 - 1863). Though not well known today, Niscaldas's work was once referred to by Vivekananda (himself a key figure in the shaping of modern Hinduism) as the most influential book in India. The present book situates The Ocean of Inquiry as representative of both a neglected genre (vernacular Vedanta) and a neglected period (ca. 17th-19th centuries) in the history of Indian philosophy. It argues that the rise of Advaita Vedanta to a position of prestige began well before the period of British rule in India, and that vernacular texts like The Ocean of Inquiry played an important role in popularizing Vedantic teachings. It also offers a new appraisal of the period of late Advaita Vedanta, arguing that it should not be seen as one of barren scholasticism. For thinkers like Niscaldas, intellectual ?inquiry? (vicara) was not an academic exercise but a spiritual practice-indeed, it was the central practice on the path to liberation. The book concludes by arguing that without understanding both vernacular Vedanta and the scholasticism of the period, one cannot fully understand the emergence of modern Hinduism.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Oxford University Press
• Erscheinungstermin: 8. April 2022
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9780197638965
• Artikelnr.: 63648663

Autorenporträt

Michael S. Allen is Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. His areas of research include Hinduism, Indian philosophy, and environmental ethics. He is the co-founder of the Hindu Philosophy unit at the American Academy of Religion, and his work has appeared in the Journal of Indian Philosophy, the Journal of Hindu Studies, the International Journal of Hindu Studies, and Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy.

Inhaltsangabe

* Preface * Abbreviations and Notes on Conventions * Part I: Vernacular Vedanta * Chapter 1. Introduction: The Unwritten History of Advaita Vedanta * The Ocean of Inquiry
Niscaldas and Greater Advaita Vedanta
Recovering the history of Advaita Vedanta
The argument of this book * Chapter 2. The Life and Works of Niscaldas * Early years
Composing The Ocean of Inquiry
Niscaldas, disciple of Dadu
Guru to a king * Chapter 3. Niscaldas and Hindi Vedanta * The significance of the vernacular
Beyond the Sanskrit/vernacular binary
Sources and models
Hindi Vedanta * Part II: Scholastic Vedanta * Chapter 4. Why Epistemology Matters * Prelude: "The incrustation of scholasticism"
Knowledge and liberation
The puzzle of Tattvadrsti
Instrumental epistemology: The basic framework
Instrumental epistemology: The idealist framework
Material epistemology
On epistemic conflict
Conclusions * Chapter 5. The Path to Liberation * Qualifications for the study of Vedanta
Hearing, reflection, and contemplation
The meaning and method of inquiry
The role of meditation
Knowledge and liberation revisited
Scholasticism as a way of life? * Chapter 6. Inquiry in Practice * Originality and the values of scholasticism
The need for a teacher
The form of inquiry: Debates and dialogues
Pedagogy in practice: The case of Tattvadrsti
The case of Adrsti
The puzzle of Tarkadrsti
Conclusions * Chapter 7. Conclusion: The Premodern Origins of Modern Hinduism * The "construction of Hinduism" debate
The eighteen vidya
sthanas
Scholastic precedents
From "Vedism" to "Hinduism" * Bibliography * Index