
Author: John A Grimes
Publisher: Indica Books
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 182
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8186569650
Description
Is there a truth, somewhere, which is so certain that no reasonable individual could doubt its veracity? The excitement of this quest comes from the scent of freedom. Both Shankara and Heidegger erect a ‘metaphysics of experience’ upon the pillars of Being, Truth, and Freedom. Metaphysics is concerned with a theory of reality while a ‘metaphysics of experience’ is a quest for Being qua Being. The comparative study of religion and philosophy will find that these two unique thinkers resonate together in an uncanny way even if they eventually come to different conclusions.
Shankara is the Indian master of this quest par excellence. His elucidation and insight into being is unparalleled. As well, Heidegger is the Western philosopher who has come the closest to thinking Being in terms other than the terms of the ‘categories of being’. In fact, he may by the first Western philosopher to do so since the pre-Socratics.
Contents
PREFACE
1. Special Feature of the Work
2. Use for the work and value to the Western World
3. Some Conventions
4. Acknowledgements
Legendary Episodes in the Life of Sankara
The Life of Sankara
Heidegger’s Chronology
Heidegger’s philosophy
I SANKARA AND HEIDEGGER-THE QUEST
1. Introduction – The Quest
2. The Quest
3. The Quest for Being
4. Towards Truth
5. Towards Freedom
6. Truth As Freedom
7. The Essence of Truth
II SANKARA
1. Introduction
2. Distinction between Standpoints and Levels of Reality
3. Truth – Absolute and relative
4. Truth – Relative
5. Towards Truth
6. The Way
7. Freedom
8. Being as Truth as Freedom
III HEIDEGGER
1. Introduction
2. Method
3. Dasein
4. Towards Truth
5. Inauthenticity
6. Existentialia
7. Anxiety
8. Death
9. Time and Temporality
10. The Essence of Truth
IV SOME PROBLEMS IN HEIDEGGER AND SANKARA
Part One
1. Heidegger’s Appeal to Experience
2. Heidegger’s Philosophy is Finite-bound and Nihilistic
3. Heidegger’s Philosophy is Arbitrary and subjective
4. Judgment versus Unveiling
5. Historical Review of Truth Incorrect
6. From Being-in-the-world to Being-as-such
7. Heidegger’s Historicity
Part Two
1. Ontological Status of Scripture
2. Brahman as Nirguna
3. No Place for God
4. No Place for Ethics
5. Is Knowledge Action?
6. Concerning Freedom
7. Jivanmukti
8. Is Brahaman Known?
V SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN HEIDEGGER AND SANKARA
Introduction
Part One – Similarities
1. Enquiry into being
2. Being is the Bedrock
3. Immanent Metaphysics
4. Mystery and Maya
5. Dasein and Jiva – Both Special Beings
6. Human Existence is Fallen
7. Do not Be Misled by the World Appearance
8. Knowledge is Object – dependent
9. Distinction Between Truth and a Truth
10 Truth is Ever-existent yet Both still Write
11 Truth as Certain
12 Experience
13 Truth is Discovery
14 The ‘Other’
15 Error and Avidya
16 God Replaced by Being
17 Purpose of Enquiry
Part Two – Differences
1. Dasein vis-à-vis Jiva
2. Method
3. Being – Dependent or Independent?
4. Truth – Temporal or Eternal?
5. Man is more than consciousness
6. Death /Moksa
7. Epistemology
CONCLUSION
Glossary
Bibliography