Philosophies of India

The book is organized into three principal parts and supplementary appendices. Part I, “The Highest Good,” introduces the encounter between East and West and explains the foundations of Indian philosophy, especially philosophy as a way of life, the disciplined formation of the qualified pupil, philosophy as transformative power, and the concept of Brahman. Part II, “The Philosophies of Time,” examines modes of human engagement with worldly existence through the philosophy of success, the philosophy of pleasure, and the philosophy of duty, including discussions of politics, kingship, caste, life-stages, satya, satyāgraha, and social wisdom. Part III, “The Philosophies of Eternity,” presents the major Indian traditions and systems, beginning with Jainism and its doctrines of bondage and release, then moving to Sāṅkhya and Yoga with their psychology and discipline of concentration, Brahmanism through the Veda, Upaniṣads, Bhagavad Gītā, and Vedānta, Buddhism through Buddhahood, Buddhist kings, Hīnayāna, Mahāyāna, the bodhisattva path, and great delight, and finally Tantra through its symbolic, ritual, and metaphysical vision. The appendices provide a concise overview of the six systems and a historical summary, supporting the book’s broad intellectual architecture.