Gnosis and the Question of Thought in Vedanta

It would probably be generally admitted that Vedanta is the apex of the Indian (or Eastern) religious philosophies. Yet today it com­ mands so little attention, in part, no doubt, because the modem mood in scholarship refuses anchoring and centering of thought. The present work seeks to address modem thought though not in the modem mood. It is nevertheless motivated by the belief that there are times when the timeless is most timely. It is possible that the sources of a tradition such as Vedanta, if approached propefIy, will yield somethIng which can be brought within the ambience of the contemporary philosophical quest, at least of its still largely unmanifest undercurrents. The present work is intended to be an act, imperfect as it is, in that direction. That marks the difference of this project, called Gnosis and the Question of Thought in Vedanta, from customary studies in Indol­ ogy. The term "gnosis" as employed in this context is a translation of its cognate Sanskrit term jfiana, the latter, however, having a much wider range of meaning than the former, especially in view of the latter's appropriation for a specific usage by the Gnostic traditions of both the East and the West. In the general expression of Vedanta too the Gnostic understanding ofjfiana has undoubtedly persisted especially in the so-called jfiana-marga, or "way of gnosis", made popular from early medieval times on.

Contenu

Preface.- Introduction: Gnosis and the scope of philosophizing in Ved?nta.- That which philosophy and philosophizing are about and the thought which pertains to it.- I. Thought as approached from human consciousness as the ground.- II. Thought as approached from the correspondence of being to being as the ground.- III. Thought as approached from gnosis as the ground.- I: Gnosis and philosophical thought in the ?g Veda.- The text of the ?g Veda.- The Veda and the Vedas; the Veda meaning idea.- ?g Vedic Mantras.- V?k and the Vedic telling.- The continuing currency of thought through concrete speculation.- II: Gnosis and philosophical thought in the Upanisads.- The texts of the Upani?ads.- The meaning of the word upani?ad.- The Upani?ads as the culmination of Vedic Relation.- The Centrality of Brahman/?tman in the Upanisads.- Description of Brahman/?tman.- Gnosis and thought.- III: Gnosis and philosophical thought in the Bhagavadg?t?.- Commentary on the Bhagavadg?t?.- The G?t? and Brahma-vidy?.- The philosophy of the G?t?: the fundamental outlook.- The teaching about the two observances expanded into a comprehensive horizon.- The conclusion.- IV: Gnosis and philosophical thought in the Brahma S?tra.- The arrangement of the text.- The circle of gnosis philosophy.- A preliminary statement based on the first four S?tras.- Cause the primordial question.- The unfolding of the system in the main body of the Bh?sya.- Notes and additional references.