Philosophy of the Buddha

The book is organized into four major parts. Part One, “The Buddha’s teaching as a philosophy,” frames the Buddha’s teaching as a legitimate subject of philosophical analysis, introduces the historical life of the Buddha, summarizes the core teaching, and distinguishes its practical and theoretical dimensions. Part Two, “The not-self doctrine,” develops a sustained analysis of anattā by interpreting the denial of a substance-self, examining whether persons should be understood as substance-selves or process-selves, and addressing how kamma and rebirth can be understood without a permanent self. Part Three, “The nature, origin, and cessation of suffering,” focuses on dukkha, craving, the cessation of suffering, and the meanings of Nibbāna both in life and after death. Part Four, “The way to the cessation of suffering,” explains the Noble Eightfold Path through the threefold framework of wisdom, virtue, and concentration, concluding with the Buddha’s invitation to live selflessly. Across these parts, Gowans presents early Buddhist philosophy as a disciplined inquiry into reality, moral transformation, and liberation.