GENERAL INFORMATION
OF DISSERTATION
“ANCIENT INDIAN
PHILOSOPHY - CONTENTS, CHARACTERISTICS
AND HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCES”
Major: PHILOSOPHY
Code:
62.22.03.01
Ph.D. candidate: TRINH THANH TUNG
Research supervisors: ASSOC. PROF. Dr. LUONG
MINH CU
Dr. PHAM LE
QUANG
Training institution: UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE &
HUMANITIES-VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HO CHI MINH CITY
1. Content summary of the thesis
As one of the forms of social
consciousness, the Indian philosophy was formed and developed, and its contents, and characteristics are inevitably governed
by and reflect natural and climate conditions which are diverse, complex and
extreme, as well as profoundly
regulated and impacted by the social - historical conditions of ancient India. In particular,
it features the harsh,
patriarchal slavery, restrained by
the rural commune and social class discrimination - the strict varna system. The formation, contents and characteristics of the Indian
philosophy are also based on the development of the ancient Indian
civilization, from the Indus Civilization (the 3rd
millennium BC) and the Vedic period - the Epic period (the 15th century BC - the 6th
century BC), to the period of Buddhism - Brahmanism (the
6th century BC - the 3rd century AD), with noticeable science and cultural achievements in various areas such as astronomy, calendar,
mathematics, medicine, literature, art, architecture, etc. All exerted an enormous impact and impression on the
contents and characteristics of the ancient Indian philosophy,
On the
basis of special natural and social conditions, the ancient
Indian philosophy was shaped and developed through two periods: in the Vedic period - the Epic
period (the 15th century BC - the 6th century BC), the Indian philosophy was shown in the Vedas, the
Upanishads, and the Indian epics, Ràmàyana and Mahàbhàrata, in which the religious-mythological
worldview was predominantly polytheistic. Then, the polytheistic worldview transformed to the monotheistic worldview, lastly combined with the monism
which states that the “Supreme Cosmic Spirit” was the identity of the
world, marking the change from the religious-mythological thinking to the philosophical
thinking. The Classical period or the period of Buddhism - Brahmanism (from the 6th
century BC to the 3rd century AD) witnessed the development of philosophical
thinking in the Vedas and the Upanishads by major schools of philosophy such as Sànkhya, Vais’esika, Nyàya, Yoga, Mimàmsà and Vedànta, also called darsanas or the orthodox systems of philosophy (as’tika), and three schools of
philosophy such as Jaina, Lokàyata and
Buddhism, known as the heterodox systems (nas’tika), which thoroughly provide more systematic explanations for
and answers to questions about the world and life.
Through
the overview of the ancient Indian philosophy, some of its key characteristics
can be obviously seen. Considering
entirety and nature, the ancient Indian philosophy is both unified and diverse. Based on one society, with the same
purpose that is finding the ideal of life, and under the
influence of the traditional mindset and
beliefs, schools of Indian philosophy developed with different tendencies and natures. Considering motivations, it can be seen
that the competition and continuation between the materialism and atheism, such as the “Six
Sectarian Teachers” or Càrvàka, and the idealism and religion such as the Vedas, the Upanishads, Brahmanism’s doctrine and
the Vedanta philosophy are the consistent trait of the Indian philosophy. Considering values, the human morality
and the supreme purpose which is liberating humans from sufferings in regard to
spirit and religion through moral development (karma-yoga), wisdom
(prajna-yoga) and love and devotion (bhakti-yoga) are the essence of the
ancient Indian philosophy.
With
the aforementioned contents and characteristics, the ancient Indian philosophy
is of great significance in many aspects. In
terms of ideology, the ancient Indian philosophy investigates and clarifies
most of the basic areas of philosophy, so it helps sharpen thinking, develop
awareness, and enrich and broaden viewpoints on the world and life of the
Indian philosophy. In terms of religion,
as the science, it discovers the truth and acts as the philosophical basis of
religion. Religion is the experience of the truth, turning the philosophy into
morality and beliefs through the intuition and moral cultivation, teachings,
precepts and religious rituals. In terms
of moral, the ancient Indian philosophy focuses on human beings, producing
methods to perfect people, finding the
purpose and the ideal of life and establishing high standards and relationships.
2. The new results of the thesis
Firstly,
on the social basis and the theoretical prerequisites for the formation and
development of the ancient Indian philosophy, this dissertation explains the basic
contents and major characteristics of the philosophy through two periods, which
are the Vedic period - the Epic period and
the Classical period or the period of Buddhism
- Brahmanism. Secondly, this
research assesses and indicates the historical significances of the ancient
Indian philosophy in both theory and practice; the significances are shown in
terms of ideology, religion and human morality in the cultural and spiritual
life of Indian people.
3. Applicability capacity of the thesis
The systematic study of the ancient Indian
philosophy with regard to contents, characteristics and, significances provides
more insight into the Indian tradition and culture, enhancing and developing a
more sustainable friendship between Vietnam and India; thus, it heightens
awareness for Vietnamese people of how we selectively perceive the Indian
culture, with national self-esteem and cultural tolerance, to enrich and deepen
understanding of our own culture.
Ho
Chi Minh City, 22 December, 2018
Confirmation of research supervisors Ph.D. candidate
ASSOC.
PROF. Dr. LUONG MINH CU TRINH THANH TUNG
Dr. PHAM LE QUANG