Baruch spinoza beliefs of buddhism

This intellectual love of God is not the traditional kind of love of God as a person, but love of God insofar as He it is eternity itself. Nonetheless, the Buddhist can see certain affinities that could clarify both the views of Spinoza and of the Buddhist himself. Note that for Spinoza there is a chain of events leading from the third kind of knowledge to Joy, to intellectual love of God, and to Blessedness in the end.

The difference, moreover, lies in the different details that Spinoza and the Buddhist characterize this spiritual path. In fact, the serene smile of the Buddha and accomplished adepts show that joy and tranquil happiness are key elements of Enlightenment. So, what starts out as differences turns out to be similarities at a deeper level, too.

For Spinoza, the passions arise from inadequate ideas; they affect us from outside and are contrary to nature. The passions should be avoided because they lead us away from true understanding of nature and hence, for Spinoza, true Joy, which only arises from total understanding of the course of nature. The way to avoid the passions is thus to develop adequate ideas and the third kind of knowledge.

We have seen how the third kind of knowledge in Spinoza and in Buddhism are similar. Perhaps the most significant aspect of the similarity lies in the fact that both forms of knowledge function to eliminate the passions and defilements kilesarespectively. However, some significant differences still remain. The Buddhist meditative knowledge is commonly understood to be non-conceptual.

A famous teaching given by meditation masters to their students is that the students need to look for a gap between thought episodes. That is, during the meditation session, the student keeps watch over her thoughts. It is the nature of thoughts arising in the mind that they keep changing; one thought arises, only to be replaced by another thought, which is of a completely different topic.

The trick for the meditating student is always to be mindful, so that when one thought ceases and just before another thought arises, there will be a gap between the two thoughts where there is no thought at all, and the student needs to attend to this gap as an object of her meditation. This gap between thoughts does not mean that one suddenly become unconscious.

On the contrary, one is fully awake and is totally alert; otherwise observing when one thought ceases and when another arises would not be possible at all. This process seems to be different from what Spinoza argues in the Ethics, where the third kind of knowledge and adequate ideas arise from a direct, intuitive grasp of the order of nature.

A difference lies in the fact that Buddhism emphasizes the process of meditation, whereas Spinoza does not, at least superficially, emphasize meditation at all, presenting as he does propositions and scholia in the geometrical order. Conclusion: How each tradition contributes to a clearer understanding of the other So, what is the whole point of this comparative study of Spinoza and Buddhism?

It turned out, as we have seen, that at a deeper level the third kind of knowledge in both Spinoza and Buddhism are rather similar. On the contrary, we can also understand meditative insight through a program of rigorously demonstrated and thoroughly unmystical system. What Buddhists can learn, then, is this thoroughly modern vocabulary.

Arriving at the supreme goal of practice—we can now call it either Enlightenment or Blessedness or amor intellectualis Dei—does not have to transcend language and concepts, but in fact is necessarily based on them. However, my focus in this study is on how one comes to know things; that is, it is on the epistemic relation between the subject and the world, and we shall see that in both Buddhism and Spinoza the third kind of knowledge indicates a special type of epistemic relation.

The examples raised by scholars such as Goenka, Deroche, and others also corroborate this point. However, the text in the Scripture appears to indicate that three kinds of spiritual masters represent the three kinds of knowledge. This is recognized by scholars such as Jayatillekep. Furthermore, for the importance of oral transmission in Buddhism, see Hoffmann In the Short Treatise on God, Man and His Well-Being, an early work which Spinoza started and left incomplete inhe also mentioned the three kinds of knowledge.

The first kind of belief either came from experience or from report. See Spinozap. Thus, it would be interesting to see how the Buddhist would regard whether normal sense perception counts as knowledge-by-hearing or not. Judging from the context in which the kinds of knowledge are present, however, it seems clear that knowledge-byhearing is limited only to testimony, where knowledge resulting from direct sense perception, such as seeing that there is a computer before me, or hearing that someone is approaching the front door, either does not count in any of the three kinds of knowledge in Buddhism, or perhaps does count as either knowledge-by-hearing or knowledgeby-thinking.

This is a topic for further research. Thanks to the anonymous reviewer for raising this topic. The standard definition of knowledge is justified, true belief. Apart from the attempt by Edmund Gettier almost six decades ago to argue that this is not sufficient Gettier,it seems to remain the standard definition, at least in basic textbooks.

Nonetheless, what Spinoza seems to have in mind when he says that the knowledge of the first kind can be a source of error is that it is quite likely that we will get errors through the normal means of obtaining knowledge of the first kind, which consists in perception and testimony. Spinoza would, presumably, admit that the error one gets through perception, such as in standard illusion cases, does not count as knowledge, but his point is rather that perception and testimonies can yield errors, not that all cognitions must be true.

Buddhists, I would add, could concur with this too. See footnote 5. I would like to thank Prof. Frank Hoffmann, whose comments and suggestions have led to many improvements. I would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers of this journal, whose insightful comments have led to many improvements too. Disclosure statement No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author s.

Princeton University Press. Deroche, M. Mindful wisdom: The path integrating memory, judgment, and attention. Asian Philosophy, 31 119— Is true justified belief knowledge? Analysis, 23 6— The essence of wisdom. Timm Ed. State University of New York Press. Hongladarom, S. Spinoza and Buddhism on death and immortality. Hongladarom, J.

Hoffman Eds. Jayatilleke, K. Early Buddhist theory of knowledge. George Allen. Mou, B. On constructive-engagement baruch spinoza belief of buddhism of comparative philosophy. Comparative Philosophy, 1 11— Date of Submission Degree Name Bachelor of Arts. Abstract Both Spinoza and Buddhism raise objection to the existence of the self as independent.

This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges baruch spinoza belief of buddhism faculty, students, and staff. Search Enter search terms:. Smith, and Daniel B. However, the rabbi of the congregation ruled that it should hold, on the basis that he had no greater wisdom than his predecessors, and that Spinoza's views had not become less problematic over time.

Spinoza's life and work have been the subject of interest for several writers. For example, this influence was considerably early in German literature, where Goethe makes a glowing mention of the philosopher in his memoirs, highlighting the positive influence of the Ethics in his personal life. In the following century, the Argentinian Jorge Luis Borges famously wrote two sonnets in his honor "Spinoza" in El otro, el mismo; and "Baruch Spinoza" in La moneda de hierro, and several direct references to Spinoza's philosophy can be found in this writer's work.

That is not the only work of fiction where the philosopher appears as the main character.

Baruch spinoza beliefs of buddhism: These two kinds lead

In the German writer Berthold Auerbach dedicated to him the first novel in his series on Jewish history, translated into English in Spinoza: a Novel. Yalomor O Segredo de Espinosa lit. The main character, Dr. Nahum Fischelson, studies the book religiously, and holds Spinoza in divine esteem. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk.

Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikisource Wikidata item. For other uses, see Spinoza disambiguation. AmsterdamDutch Republic. The HagueDutch Republic. Talmud Torah University of Leiden no degree [ 11 ]. Western philosophy. Cartesianism [ 1 ] Conceptualism [ 2 ] Correspondence theory of truth [ a ] [ 4 ] Direct realism [ 5 ] Foundationalism according to Hegel [ 6 ] Rationalism Psychological Egoism [ 7 ].

Epistemology ethics Hebrew Bible [ 8 ] metaphysics. Biography [ edit ]. Family background [ edit ]. See also: History of the Jews in Amsterdam. Uriel da Costa's early influence [ edit ]. School days and the family business [ edit ]. Expulsion from the Jewish community [ edit ]. Education and study group [ edit ]. Career as a philosopher [ edit ].

Rijnsburg [ edit ]. Voorburg [ edit ].

Baruch spinoza beliefs of buddhism: Spinoza's idea that God

The Hague [ edit ]. Correspondence [ edit ]. Death and rescue of unpublished writings [ edit ]. Philosophy [ edit ]. Positions: Hasmonean Sadducean Pharisee Boethusian. People: Aristobulus of Alexandria Philo of Alexandria. Main article: Tractatus Theologico-Politicus. See also: Thomas Hobbes. Ethics [ edit ]. Main article: Ethics Spinoza book.

Metaphysics [ edit ]. Substance, attributes, and modes [ edit ]. Causality [ edit ]. The emotions [ edit ]. Ethical philosophy [ edit ]. Main article: Tractatus Politicus. Pantheism [ edit ]. See also: Pantheism controversy. Other philosophical connections [ edit ]. Legacy [ edit ]. Modern era [ edit ]. Spinoza and Zionism [ edit ]. Reconsideration of Spinoza's expulsion [ edit ].

Memory and memorials [ edit ]. Depictions and influence in literature [ edit ]. Works [ edit ].

Baruch spinoza beliefs of buddhism: Spinoza's philosophical conceptions contain

Original Editions [ edit ]. Contemporary Editions [ edit ]. See also [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Notes [ edit ]. His boyhood and early adult business name was "Bento", and his synagogue name was "Baruch", the Hebrew translation of "Bento", which means "blessed". Citations [ edit ]. In Zalta, Edward N. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved 27 April Zalta, Edward N. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 9 September Retrieved 20 March The New York Times. Retrieved 8 September World in time of upheaval: Sources of enlightenment. Deseret News. Ethicsin Spinoza: Complete Workstrans. I, Prop. XXXVI, Appendix: "[M]en think themselves free inasmuch as they are conscious of their volitions and desires, and never even dream, in their ignorance, of the causes which have disposed of them so to wish and desire.

Retrieved 21 February Penguin Books. ISBN Retrieved 11 November Smith regarded as the most dangerous enemy of Christianity, and as he announced his conviction that it had gained the control of the schools, press and pulpit of the Old World [Europe], and was rapidly gaining the same control of the New [United States], his alarm and indignation sometimes rose to the eloquence of genuine passion.

Henry Smith, D. Retrieved 18 March Allanson, "Pantheism: Its Story and Significance", Dictionnaire Historique et Critiquevol. Libraire Desoer, Paris,p. Wood and George Di Giovanni. Cambridge University Press, p. Allen, Max Muller. Kessinger Publishing, Meeting Duquette, David A. Hegel's History of Philosophy: New Interpretations. SUNY Press. Archived from the original on 13 May Retrieved 2 May Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.

OCLC Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. Retrieved 19 May Archived from the original on 22 May RTL Nieuws. Retrieved 30 November Tractatus Theologico-Politicus. Translated by Shirley, Samuel. The Jewish Quarterly Review. ISSN See Smith, Steven B. What Kind of Jew Was Spinoza? See Novak, Davided. The question is whether or not Spinoza is really the kind of precedent a secular Zionist like Ben-Gurion was hopefully looking for.

The Contemporary Crisis in Western Civilization". Modern Judaism. It is the first inkling of unqualifiedly political Zionism. Simon and Schuster. So why was he 'cancelled'? When applied to oneself, to one's individual emotions and experiences in detail, one undergoes an uncovering of both one's unconscious motivations anticipating Freud, whom he indeed influenced and also of the implicit enacted belonging in the full range of one's contexts--social, linguistic, historical, cultural, familial, etc.

As a consequence, Spinoza maintains, one undergoes a therapeutic transformation from pain, anxiety, and rage to acceptance, calm equanimity, and compassionate benevolence toward others and the world generally. It is not only the greater honesty and fuller self-understanding that breed acceptance, but also freedom from the hold of the past and compassionate acceptance emerge from the knowledge of the inevitability of self and others in context.

Baruch spinoza beliefs of buddhism: His admiration of Spinoza is open,

Spinoza proposes that this transformation from retributive to compassionate attitudes is beneficial not only for the individual but for society and its legal and political institutions as well. I will offer a detailed account of Spinoza's theory of moral responsibility as it intends to revise personal attitudes and social mores. Max Weber and the Problem of Modern Discipline, International journal of sustainable development and planning, Log in with Facebook Log in with Google.

Remember me on this computer. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. Need an account? Click here to sign up. Spinoza and Buddhism on the Self Soraj Hongladarom. The Concept of Self in Buddhism maitreyee datta. Spinoza on the Passions and the Self Andrea Sangiacomo. Spinoza and Buddhism on the Self Draft copy only.

Please do not cite without permission. This age-old philosophical problem has been given a boost through recent advances in cognitive science and neuroscience, which finds it intriguing that an entity as familiar to us as our selves continue to elude full scientific investigation. To put it in a rather formal term, the problem is how to account for the referent of the first-person pronoun.

The problem of the self has intimate connections with the problem of personal identity and the mind-body problem, but they are not the same. What makes the self distinctive is its first-personal character, so to speak. Furthermore, the key toward 1 As this paper presents only a sketch of a larger project, I do not specify which tradition of Buddhism is presented to compare and contrast with Spinoza.

What I intend to do is to present the core view within each school of Buddhism in order to present Buddhism as a single whole, to the extent that this is possible at all. More nuanced interpretation of Buddhism, especially on the self, has to baruch spinoza belief of buddhism for the further studies. The metaphysics are also quite similar; for Spinoza, all things are, it could be said, interconnected since they are modes of either the Attribute of body, if they are material things, or of the Attribute of the mind, in case they are mental entities.

In any case, all of these are parts of the one Substance, or God. Thus, we could see Spinoza as showing that things, either physical or mental, do not possess independent existence in themselves, because the one and only thing that possesses such independent existence is none other than God. The problem of why there is such a dearth of studies comparing the two philosophies aside, what I would like to do, as I have said, is to compare and contrast the two philosophies on the self.

There is a clear reason for this, apart from the fact that the self has become fashionable. Buddhist philosophy, as is well known, is skeptical about the self. It is the hallmark of almost all schools of Buddhist philosophy that they deny the inherent existence of the self. As I said earlier, the Buddhism that I present in this paper is a generic one which does not distinguish between Theravada or Mahayana, or any other more specific school.

Spinoza does not talk much at all about the self in the Ethics, but he talks about the human mind and the human body, and we can infer from that how he would conceive of the self as referent of the first-person pronoun. The point I would like to make in the paper, then, is that there are more similarities in Spinoza and Buddhism than differences.

Furthermore, a close look at how Spinoza formulates his view about the human mind and body could shed light on how Buddhist philosophy in general looks at the issue also. Hence the benefits go both ways. In the same vein, the Buddhist analysis of the self could also benefit an understanding of Spinoza. The comparison is not only of exegetical interest; it has strong philosophical interest too.

His argument hinges on the ontological status of the Spinozistic Attributes, which does not directly touch upon the argument presented in this paper as I do not present any specific argument on the status of the Attributes here.