Indian Philosophy. What Is Indian Philosophy - Essay Example

Indian Philosophy In this essay, I will provide a summary of Indian philosophy. Further, I will provide philosophical arguments that show that Indian philosophy is more like a religion than philosophy. First, I will summarize the main considerations of Indian philosophy. The main consideration is that, the practical drive of Indian Philosophy is motivated by the view that human life is full of suffering. Human beings suffer in their journey to realize actual truth about their life. Despite of many sufferings, Indian philosophy brings into light the importance of worship and meditation to achieve peace and liberty provided by the Supreme Being. Indian philosophy is strongly spiritual and emphasizes the need of realizing the truth about life. The philosophy aims at achieving the knowledge of truth. It helps human beings to attain instinctive vision of reality and perception of truth, which leads to actual realization. According to Datta (571), Indian philosophy is intimately linked with religious facts. For instance, Indians believe on the fact that existence does not come from non-existence. In other words, there is nothing in this world comes out of nothing. There is a supreme being who is sole cause and source of the universes. This contradicts with Descartes who in his philosophy believed that all philosophy do not start with God’s scripture. Descartes believed that all philosophy should start with the argument “I think I am”. Descartes assumed that existence occur in the essence of being perfect being without believing in the essence of finite thing. This follows that; the existence of human beings should not be compared with God’s existence. Secondly, most of Indian philosophies are derived from Vedas principles. Basically, these principles explore that just as a seed flourishes one time, human beings have all knowledge to become the best. The Vedas principles guide human beings to live in peace with one another and life in reference with the fear of Supreme Being. The principles guide human beings to live a life that is fulfilling in the spiritual realm. Indian philosophy accepts the principles and authority of Veda. Therefore, human beings are unable to seek realization and truth openly and freely. This contradicts with the Western philosophers who believe in having complete freedom to do and act the way one wishes. Indian philosophy rejects the notion of doing things as per one’s desires and wishes but as per principles that guide human beings to live in harmony with one another. The nature of man depends on the nature of reality and his destiny. The Indian’s philosophy affirms that man is not an animal or plant, but a spiritual and thinking being set to accomplish his dreams and goals for higher purposes. Human beings should strive to live an integrated life that honours the maker. The accepted position in Indian Philosophy provides steps of obtaining truth to life. First, human beings are encouraged to read and hear the truth from a book or a teacher. Secondly, it is crucial to apply what one has heard or read in search for truth. Thirdly, human beings should meditate on the teachings and truth taught in books or by teachers. Indian philosophy values the concept of meditation as one that seize and motivates human beings to have a peace of mind and live in peace with another. According to Datta (571), Indian philosophy depends on direct and mystical experience. Indian philosophy is concerned with norms and values that relate to religion. However, western philosophy relates to the notion of science and nature, and in most cases it is concerned with facts. The doctrine or principle of inwardness is a major concern for Indian philosophy. Specifically, Indian philosophy is mainly concerned with the aspect of changing man’s mind rather than changing the world in which human being live. The whole aspect points out on the importance of changing the mindset to succeed and achieve the best in life. Based on this analysis, one would argue that Indian philosophy is mystical and absolutistic in the sense that, it rejects the aspect of mind and body being thought of differently. In his philosophy, Descartes asserted that body and mind should be thought of differently. Descartes believed that the mind and body are two separate areas and each one of them can be thought without the other. According to Indian philosophy, the mind and body cannot be divided. This based on the argument that what a man thinks so is he. In other words, there is part of the mind that contains memories and another one that contains personality. When combined, the two determines how an individual behaves and thinks. Indian philosophy rejects Descartes philosophy in that, it is difficult to accept how mind and body are different and do not depend on one another (Datta 570). Indian philosophy helps human beings to think more rationally, deeply, and clearly. The more people understand the philosophy of life, the more they live in harmony with one another. The systems of Indian philosophy are divided into two classes, which are orthodox and heterodox. Orthodox has philosophical systems such as Yoga, Vaisesika, Nyaya, Sankhya, Vedanta, and Mimamsa. Most of these systems believe in Vedas principles. However, most of Heterodox do not believe in the authority or principles of the Vedas. Although Indian philosophy may differ in different ways, there are major sources of knowledge that deepen its notion. The major sources of knowledge include Authoritarianism, Rationalism, and Empiricism. In Authoritarianism, the philosophy is based on the knowledge about the empirical world and life realities such as existence of souls, God, Life after death, karma heaven and hell, and life before birth. Such philosophies can be derived from prophets, saints, and scriptures that provide records of such revelations. In Rationalism, human beings believe in what is not directly perceived. In other words, human beings are likely to rationalize the existence of various even if they do not see them. For instance, a human being understands that wherever there is smoke there is existence of fire. This based on the philosophy that wherever there is fire there is smoke and vice versa. Lastly, Empiricism is the view where senses are the major experience or source of knowledge. For instance, there are human beings who deny the existence of soul, heal and heaven, and God. To sum up, Indian philosophy recognizes the reality of the world. Typically, it also recognizes the reality and ideal of the self. The law of Karma is the main doctrine that guides Indian philosophy. For instance, the philosophy believes in the argument that what we sow as what we reap. In brief, every system of Indian philosophy is based on the theory of knowledge. Works Cited Datta, Mohan, D. “The Contribution of Modern Indian Philosophy to World Philosophy.” The Philosophical Review 57.6 (1948): 550-572. Print. Read More