Hindu Philosophy

Hindu and Western Philosophies

Because the essential nature of humans is similar everywhere, the objective of philosophic inquiry is the same. The same two questions dominate philosophical thought in Hindu and in Western Philosophies. They are

1. What is the nature of reality?
2. What is the purpose of life?

However, the nature of philosophic inquiry has differed since ancient times. In the West the ancient Greeks based their processes more on speculation and inference whereas the ancient Hindus based their processes more on experience and faith. Hindu philosophers used their conclusions to these questions to try and answer two other important questions that were important and meaningful to them. These questions are

1. What is the cause of pleasure and pain?
2. How can liberation from pain be achieved?
Hinduism – Philosophy and Theology

Hindu theology and Hindu philosophy both have arisen from the principles of the Vedas and the Upanishads but have moved in different directions. The Hindu theology focuses on experience of the divine through devotional experience without bothering about the basic nature of the divine. The Hindu philosophy focuses on understanding the nature of the ultimate reality primarily through experience. The “divine” of the theology and the “ultimate reality” of the philosophy is one and the same.

Both Hindu philosophy and Hindu theology accept the cyclic nature of the universe and the concept of rebirth. Incidentally, both these issues are absent in Western philosophies and religions and form a focal point of deviation. Another commonality in both Hindu philosophy and Hindu theology is the concept of “darshana”, which exhibits the similarities and differences of Hindu philosophy and Hindu religion. Darshana as a verb means to see or in a larger sense to perceive. As a noun it means that which is perceived. Hindu philosophy is built around perception of the ultimate reality and the Hindi word for philosophy is darshana. In Hindu religion darshana is the act of perceiving the divine either directly or through an image.
Schools of Hindu Philosophy

There are six main schools of Hindu Philosophy, namely Nyaya, Vaishesika, Sankhya, Yoga, Mimansa and Vedanta. These are not contradictory but complementary when viewed at a holistic level and together present a comprehensive picture of Hindu philosophy.

Nyaya was founded by Sage Gautam and is essentially a system of logic. Vaishesika was founded by Sage Kanada and details the knowledge of the objective world through nine basic principles. Sankhya was founded by sage Kapila and is considered an evolved form of Vaishesika. Sankhya projects two basic principles -- spirit and matter or Prakriti and Purusha. These manifest as 25 different principles that are the basis of all objective reality. Sankhya also stresses the evolution from pre-existent matter and not its creation in the Western sense. Yoga was founded by Patanjali and outlines the processes for the direct experience of the ultimate reality. Mimansa was founded by Jaimini and is concerned with the interpretation of Vedic ritual. Vedanta was founded by Badrayana and describes the nature of the ultimate reality. Vedanta postulates that Purusha and Prakriti are essentially the same. Advaita, Vishishta Advaita and Dvaita are all different interpretations of the Vedanta school.