Nothingness in Asian Philosophy [Hardcover]

A variety of crucial and still most relevant ideas about nothingness or emptiness have gained profound philosophical prominence in the history and development of a number of South and East Asian traditionsincluding in Buddhism, Daoism, Neo-Confucianism, Hinduism, Korean philosophy, and the Japanese Kyoto School. These traditions share the insight that in order to explain both the great mysteries and mundane facts about our experience, ideas of nothingness must play a primary role.

This collection of essays brings together the work of twenty of the worlds prominent scholars of Hindu, Buddhist, Daoist, Neo-Confucian, Japanese and Korean thought to illuminate fascinating philosophical conceptualizations of nothingness in both classical and modern Asian traditions. The unique collection offers new work from accomplished scholars and provides a coherent, panoramic view of the most significant ways that nothingness plays crucial roles in Asian philosophy. It includes both traditional and contemporary formulations, sometimes putting Asian traditions into dialogue with one another and sometimes with classical and modern Western thought. The result is a book of immense value for students and researchers in Asian and comparative philosophy.

PART I Emptiness in Br
hminical and Early Buddhist TraditionsChapter 1The Unavoidable Void: Non-Existence, Absence, and Emptiness Arindam ChakrabartiChapter 2Semantics of Nothingess: Bhartrharis Philosophy of Negation Sthaneshwar Timalsina  Chapter 3Madhyamaka, Nihilism and the Emptiness of Emptiness Jay L. GarfieldChapter 4In Search of the Semantics of Emptiness Koji Tanaka  Chapter 5Madhyamaka Emptiness and Buddhist EthiclcO