Browsing by Subject "Prajna Vihara: -- Journal of Philosophy and Religion -- 2022"
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ItemAnalysis of freedom and thought in descartes' philosophy and its influenceThe search for truth and certainty is a major preoccupation with all Western philosophy. This has its most famous attempt in the philosophy of Descartes. This paper studies Descartes’ pure philosophy considered as a pure first philosophy. Descartes regards thinking as his core existence, and thinking is a freedom that I can truly grasp. Descartes is sometimes criticized for offering only a defense of the primacy of the freedom of thought in opposition to the freedom of action. This paper will show that Descartes does not oppose practical philosophy but intends to seek a metaphilosophy which supports practical philosophy, using the freedom of thinking as the foundation. In short, Descartes just wants to find a way of verifying truth prior to any political, cultural, traditional, moral, or religious factors. His influence is visible in the subsequent philosophies and philosophers who place the human beings at the center of philosophy.
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ItemCompassion and attachment: a comparison of max scheler and theravada buddhismThis paper will explore how the concept of compassion is understood by the Western phenomenological tradition of Max Scheler, in contrast to how it is understood by Theravāda Buddhism. In the Western tradition the distinctions and connections between ‘empathy,’ ‘sympathy’ and ‘compassion’ involve considerations about morality and ethical theory. Max Scheler combines his phenomenology with psychological approaches to consider how one individual can relate to the mental states of another other individuals. Scheler, distinguishes between empathy and sympathy to avoid the need to experience another’s suffering directly. This distinction is made in Theravāda Buddhism, where emotional contagion is understood as a form of attachment. But Scheler unlike Buddhism, still emphasizes the autonomous subject of phenomenology which is central to ethical action. Central to Theravāda Buddhism is the recognition of suffering and dealing with the feelings that arise. The individual sheds their attachments and this leads to a wholesome kamma, as stated in the first of the Four Noble Truths. So the Theravada Buddhist tradition focuses on the alleviation of suffering not only in the mind of the individual but of humanity in general. Since Theravāda Buddhism stresses non-self, this moves it beyond Scheler’s approach. This approach to compassion is not one of ‘feeling with’ or ‘suffering with’ another specific individual, but one that actively addresses human suffering in general.
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ItemCompassion for the other in levinas and buddhism: the case of the bodhisattvaThe philosophy of Levinas, gives a primacy to ethics over ontology, and a primacy of the other over the self. This is something which is also found in the tradition of Mahayana Buddhism, especially with regard to compassion, and the idea of the role of the Bodhisattva. This paper compares Levinas’s philosophy of ethics with the teaching of Mahayana Buddhism and and demonstrates how they are connected by their emphasis on the virtue of compassion. Both advocate a departure from the ego-self to the compassion for the other. Levinas like Buddhism redefines subjectivity through its responsibility to the other. So reading Levinas through Buddhism allows us to understand the shift from the Western idea of the self to the responsibility towards the other, and it allows us to understand the responsibility the self has towards addressing the suffering of the other. Also reading Levinas through Buddhism allows us to understand a respect for non-human nature which remains within the framework of Levinas’ philosophy.
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ItemRereading the three worlds according to King Ruang based upon its roots in the TipitakaThis paper is a study of Thai Buddhist cosmology contained in the old manuscript named, the Traibhumikatha (Tebhumikatha). This manuscript had been compiled and revised for first public edition in 1912. The final text was entitled the Trai Phum Phra Ruang and it has been translated into English in 1979 as The Three Worlds According to King Ruang. The dissemination of this text began since the rise of Thai kingdom, thus it is regarded as one of the literary classics of Thai culture. The text has often been interpreted as an attempt to make Theravada Buddhism more accessible to the masses. It subsequently has been appropriated by folk culture as documenting the literal existence of heavens and hells and the accumulation of merits through several lifetimes. This paper aims to move beyond this more superficial reading of text to a deeper interpretation based upon the concept of impermanence (Anicca) which is a dominant concept of Theravada Buddhism. Impermanence represents a cosmological view based on the law of three marks of existence (Tilakkhana). It also determines the features of time, space, and beings as contingent and not independent of other things. Therefore, it is used in this study as a key to disclose a new meaning of this text based upon its deeper narrative, the Tipitaka. And with the notions Nath Narada and John Giordano 73 applied from Schleiermacher’s hermeneutical theory, the rereading of this text represents an attempt to fill the gaps in the traditional interpretation which overlooks the attainment of Nibbana at present lifetime and in modern interpretation which lacks a sociocultural dimension.
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ItemThe concept of non-self in theravada buddhism and its relation to human behaviorAnatta or non-self is one of the most important concepts in Theravada Buddhism. Anatta’s main objective is to show that none of the five forms of self exists, and also none of the five aggregates be linked to the self. This realization concerning Anatta is devised to have a positive effect on how a follower of Buddhism experiences the world and alleviates suffering. This paper extends the concept of Anatta to contemporary society to understand how it can contribute to the improvement of human behavior and psychotherapy. This includes the fostering of mindfulness to develop empathy and create a therapeutic nexus between the patient and the therapist. It also provides techniques for coping with stress, and can act as a foundational basis for ethical and behavior and mollify the relentless pursuit of one’s desires. Furthermore, it offers insights into Western psychology constructs and how to correct its weaknesses which are often focused too closely on the idea of the self.
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ItemThe ethics of intellectual property law in the area of pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines during times of pandemicsThe course of the Covid 19 pandemic, has demonstrated the serious obstacles to the availability and access to vaccines for many less-developed countries. One obstacle involves the pharmaceutical patents which limited the ability of many countries to afford the necessary vaccines. For many, the intellectual property laws created by the World Trade Organization and TRIPS agreement has shown itself to be unfair to less-developed countries. This is also seen as a problem in global justice. There is an increasing belief that pharmaceutical patents should be waived in times of emergency. But the question is how to justify these waivers? One approach might be the idea of the commons which underlies intellectual property in it most basic form. This paper explores ways of reforming intellectual property law in light of the recent problems connected to the Covid pandemic.
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ItemThe important role of the separation of church and state in last generation theology for seventh-day adventistsThis paper takes a contemporary look at the discussion and analysis of the concept of separation of church and state from a Seventh-day Adventist perspective. The separation of church and state means that the government should not enforce any specific religion on the population, and should not prohibit the population to follow any specific religion. The separation of church and state can clearly be seen in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Philosophers like Locke strongly opposed the combination of church and state, and during the Dark Ages, where the church largely controlled the state, we can see how many people were killed by the Roman Catholic Church and its subsidiaries for following their consciences. History has shown us that in countries where religion and state has not been kept separate, there is persecution of the masses. The Bible, and Seventh-day Adventist Christian authors like Alonzo Jones and Ellen White, completely reject the idea of the state wanting to enforce religious rules on their people. These authors believed in the central idea of Last Generation Theology, which is that the last generation of Christians who are alive when Christ returns will live lives completely free from sin. In order to be encouraged Prajñā Vihāra Vol. 23 no. 1 January to June 2022, 109-121 © 2000 by Assumption University Press 110 Prajñā Vihāra Vol. 23 no. 1 January to June 2022 to be completely obedient to God in all areas that He requires, it is crucial to have the freedom to follow your conscience without the interference of the civil authority. The combination of church and state therefore seems to play a major role in the eschatology of Christianity as it relates to Last Generation Theology.
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ItemYoga practice as a complement to Samatha meditationThe demands of contemporary life have led to various kinds of practices to promote physical and mental health. In Buddhist countries, yoga is increasingly attractive to people as a compeiment to the older Theravarda approaches to meditation like Samtha. This paper will explore the phenomenon and show that this increasing practice of yoga is not at odds with Budhhism. Both traditions focus the mindto attain 6DPƗGKL. Increasingly,laypersons and religious people have integrated yoga practice with Samatha meditation, to promote physicalandmental health. This paper will introduce the approach of Banyat Dhammasaro, the Thai monk who has attempted to integrate yoga with Samatha meditation.