In Skeptical Wonder Inquiries into the Philosophy of Arne Naess on the Occasion of His 70th ... Book

210416: dense and deliberate. this is a historical document (1923), of english academic style, though i do not know how significantly different is current understanding of indian philosophy. i have grown up more or less a-religious, but in a nominally christian society, so have no sense of either the original texts eg. vedas, upanishads, epics, or the usual human corruption of faiths eg. brahmanism and caste, buddhism and dissolution, and no idea of more contemporary thinkers...

i found it very useful on vedas and upanishads- even jains- as my original study of indian thought always begins with buddhism, and of that mostly the philosophy of the four noble truths, the eightfold path, the schism between theravada and mahayana, the original diffusion of thought throughout asia, but the argument is that such dharma (teachings) grew organically even when revolutionary, out of indian culture eg. upanishads, that unsurprisingly the person of the buddha was soon imagined superhuman, divine, avatar, that his teachings were oral and only recorded years later- but with such consistency of thought if not event that there is not much dispute of the core diagnosis, teachings, path...

there is a lot of information given. i now know better the mahabharata and ramayana, i now have a better sense of development of somewhat unified 'indian' culture, development and some apology for caste (could have just killed the defeated), the attempt to find monotheism in brahma, and by this recount it certainly seems obvious why buddhism has declined as a religious force, as it is both too 'cold'? (the pali texts) and too diffuse and adaptive to local traditions (mahayana), such that either case does not suggest comforting metaphysical pictures needed to make a religion appeal (more a psychological assertion than philosophical claim). from what limited reading and here in comparison, i can see why rises in conflict the ways of brahma- we are all brahmin and this is a specific, wondrous being we must discover, through acts, faith, thoughts- and the ways of buddhism- the world is a cycle of pain, we are essentially empty, we are of 'dependent origination'... though both ways incorporate karma and ethical rules...

on the other, after slamming buddhism the author does attempt to recount the various schools of thought, from something like materialism, idealism, does try to explain nagarjuna's genius (someone to read again), and uses that great 'four limbs' logic, rather than simple is, is not, excluded middle- the distinction between 'conventional' and 'ultimate' knowledge that is or is not, or both is and is not, or neither is or is not... and on the other this is only volume 1, so i have more reading to do...

also encourages me to learn more advaita vedanta…