Philosophers,
We’re landing the plane we’ve been on together for the last two weeks, surveying some of the greatest thinkers and traditions in the world of philosophy.
I hope you’ve found it enlightening and enjoyable. Tomorrow, I’ll share a consolidated and easy to use synopsis you can reference immediately or in the future!
But today, let’s dig in to our final installment as we study the epistemology, ontology, and ethics of Buddhism.
Epistemology
In a way, I think Buddhist epistemology is the most exciting and the most straight-forward of any philosophy we’ve studied so far. The Buddha teaches that we acquire our knowledge in 3 primary ways:
Mental
Verbal
Bodily
And, each of these methods is undergirded with a process of pragmatic reflection, critical thinking, and self-awareness. Buddhist knowledge is no stranger or oppositional force to critical analysis, the scientific method, or rational reflection.
This feature—in my opinion—makes mainstream Buddhism less of a religion, and more of a philosophy with psychological features. In fact, I know many mental health care professionals who cite Buddhism as the oldest and most helpful psychology known to our species.
Ontology
I honestly believe there are a few ways one could analyze Buddhist Ontology—or the object of Buddhist thought and intention.
However, I find that Buddhism is best understood as either an exploration of the Self, or an exploration of Reality as a whole (of which the Self is a part.)
What is clear, is that Buddhist practice is based not on changing or improving to become better. Rather, it is deeply practical thinking which begins with the acceptance of humans and the way we are—ourselves included.
That to say, Buddhism works with human nature, not against it.
Ethics
The best way to understand Buddhist Ethics is through the Eight Fold Path.
This is less a list of things to do, and more an exploration of life through curiosity, seeking to find answers for oneself in each of these categories.
I’ve written extensively about this Ethic previously at TPP, you can find one of those articles below.
Right Action (not harmful to others, acting mindfully)
Right Speech (truth-telling)
Right Livelihood (earning a living in a way that does not cause suffering)*
Right Mindfulness (aware of personal and collective emotions)
Right Effort (Effort on right things, like lovingkindness, compassion, and meditation)
Right Concentration (Developing focus for meditation)
Right View (Being mindful of actions' consequences)
Right Intention (Being clear about following this path)
Greatest Work
I have found that the greatest way to access Buddhist thought and practice is not through reading, but through relationship with a practitioner and a meditative/yogic practice.
There are many texts one could read (in fact, here is a brief overview) but this tradition wasn’t based on written text, but rather oral mantras, meditative journeys, and open-ended questioning.
In many ways, Buddhism would say You are the greatest work. If you’re interested to learn more, nearly every city in the world at this point has at least a small gathering of folks interested in this path, that’s a great place to start!
Friends, I hope you’ve enjoyed the last few weeks and I wish you a wonderful weekend.
Keep an eye out for a special Weekend Roundup tomorrow.
Be well,
Matt
Resources
https://iep.utm.edu/buddha/#:~:text=In%20epistemology%2C%20the%20Buddha%20seeks,mental%2C%20verbal%2C%20and%20bodily.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343064079_Ontological_Beliefs_in_Buddhism