Is Whiteheadian Process Thought Compatible with Early Buddhist Philosophy?

Buddhist-Christian Studies 43 (1):211-225 (2023)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

abstract: Numerous authors have compared Process thought as articulated by Alfred North Whitehead and Mahayana Buddhist philosophy, owing to the fact that each of these systems is rooted in the notion that relational action, rather than substance, is meta-physically fundamental and that human life is to be understood as fundamentally experiential. However, despite the fact that the foundational philosophical tenets of Mahayana Buddhism are built on axioms established and rooted in early Buddhism, relatively little has been written comparing Process thought with the philosophy of early Buddhism. In this essay, I first offer a brief comparison and discussion of the foundational metaphysical principles of these systems. The purpose of this essay is to extend the dialogue between Process thought and early Buddhism, highlighting both areas of convergence and points of departure. The first task is to establish how key terms in each system may be understood in terms of the other and to point out ways in which these systems converge around questions of ontology, agency, and the nature of the self. I will then discuss the epistemologies that underwrite these meta-physical commitments. Finally, I will conclude with a brief comparison of the role of aesthetics in human experience and the soteriological project within these two schools of thought.

Other Versions

No versions found

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 99,322

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Ethical Thought in Indian Buddhism.Christopher W. Gowans - 2013 - In Steven M. Emmanuel (ed.), A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 429–451.
Early Buddhism and the Essence of Mahayana Buddhism.Yong-Kil Cho - 2003 - In Siddheswar Rameshwar Bhatt (ed.), Buddhist thought and culture in India and Korea. New Delhi: Indian Council of Philosophical Research. pp. 67.
Dialectical aspects in Buddhist thought: studies in Sino-Japanese Mahāyāna idealism.Alfonso Verdú - 1974 - New York: sole distributors in USA & Canada, Paragon Book Gallery.
Notions of Selflessness in Sartrean Existentialism and Theravadin Buddhism.Sander H. Lee - 1998 - The Paideia Archive: Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy 36:134-141.

Analytics

Added to PP
2023-09-28

Downloads
19 (#958,187)

6 months
9 (#369,515)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Eric Nyberg
University of Edinburgh

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references