<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->http://www.sandeepweb.com/2007/12/17/redefining-fundamentals/#comments
EXCERPT:
<i>Â Â First of all, we have no religion in India and even philosophy, as the West knows it,
  is absent. But what we have is something different. We have experience. We have
  reflection on experience. We ask a different set of questions to what the Western
  philosopher asks. Experience, in occidental philosophy, is confused with sensations,
  or emotions, or feelings, or thoughts. But experience is actually all of this. It is not
  identical to any of these. It is what we call anubhava, which roughly translates
  asâhaving an appropriate way of being in the worldâ. This knowledge that Indians
  have developed over the last 3,000 years belongs to all humankindâ¦</i>
The Upanishads give us the best examples of experience and reflection thereupon. The Bhriguvalli for example, gives us a glimpse into how a student was taught: learning by experience. The student graduates to successively higher stages of experience till he expounds the knowledge he has gained from each experience. <b>At best, Western philosophy is a series of feats in logic. </b>
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Comment:
Excellent post. I have ordered Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy by Chandradhar Sharma and am waiting to read it. In western universities too, the Upanishads are taught only through translations by westerners, as if Indians have no clue about it.
<b>Socrates had this method called dialectics, in which was a technique for enquiry. </b>This dialogue was meant to force people to think critically, to confront illogical, inconsistent dogmatic assertions and express their ideas clearly. This method forced the student to be an active participant in acquiring ideals and values. Through relentless cross examination, Socrates forced the students to examine their opinion rationally amd make the knowledge part of oneâs being. This would be like the viva voce we have in our exams. Then as you said, this is a feat in logic and not in experience.
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EXCERPT:
<i>Â Â First of all, we have no religion in India and even philosophy, as the West knows it,
  is absent. But what we have is something different. We have experience. We have
  reflection on experience. We ask a different set of questions to what the Western
  philosopher asks. Experience, in occidental philosophy, is confused with sensations,
  or emotions, or feelings, or thoughts. But experience is actually all of this. It is not
  identical to any of these. It is what we call anubhava, which roughly translates
  asâhaving an appropriate way of being in the worldâ. This knowledge that Indians
  have developed over the last 3,000 years belongs to all humankindâ¦</i>
The Upanishads give us the best examples of experience and reflection thereupon. The Bhriguvalli for example, gives us a glimpse into how a student was taught: learning by experience. The student graduates to successively higher stages of experience till he expounds the knowledge he has gained from each experience. <b>At best, Western philosophy is a series of feats in logic. </b>
_________________________________________
Comment:
Excellent post. I have ordered Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy by Chandradhar Sharma and am waiting to read it. In western universities too, the Upanishads are taught only through translations by westerners, as if Indians have no clue about it.
<b>Socrates had this method called dialectics, in which was a technique for enquiry. </b>This dialogue was meant to force people to think critically, to confront illogical, inconsistent dogmatic assertions and express their ideas clearly. This method forced the student to be an active participant in acquiring ideals and values. Through relentless cross examination, Socrates forced the students to examine their opinion rationally amd make the knowledge part of oneâs being. This would be like the viva voce we have in our exams. Then as you said, this is a feat in logic and not in experience.
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