Eastern philosophy

Many people have big ideas.

These ideas come from many lands in Asia. Some ideas are very old.

In India, people follow many ways of thinking. One way is called Hinduism. It has many followers.

Some people study how to live well. They think about things like karma. Others think about how the world works. They might think about tiny atoms. Many people use these ideas to find peace. It is fun to wonder about life.

Many people in Asia have big ideas about life. These are called Eastern philosophies.

One major group comes from India. This is called Indian philosophy. It includes many different ways of thinking.

Some groups follow the Vedas. The Vedas are very old holy books. These are called orthodox schools. One group is called Nyaya. They study how we know things are true. They believe we can find peace through knowledge.

Another group is called Vaisheshika. They think the world is made of tiny parts. They call these tiny parts atoms.

Other groups do not follow the Vedas. These are called heterodox schools. This includes Buddhism and Jainism. Jainism teaches people to be kind to all life. This is called ahimsa.

Hinduism is also a very large way of life. It has about one billion followers. It has no single founder. Instead, it grew from many Indian cultures. People in Hinduism think about karma. Karma is the idea of how our actions matter.

These ideas help people understand the world.

Eastern philosophy covers many big ideas from Asia.

This includes thinkers from China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. It also includes Indian philosophy from the Indian subcontinent. These ideas help people understand how the world works. Some people call these ideas Asian or Oriental philosophy. They are important because they shape how millions of people live.

In India, many thinkers belong to different schools. Some schools are called orthodox, or "astika." These schools believe the Vedas are a true source of knowledge. There are six major orthodox schools in this group. One is called Nyaya, which studies how we gain correct knowledge. Another is Vaisheshika, which says the universe is made of tiny atoms.

Other groups are called heterodox, or "nastika." These groups do not follow the Vedas. This includes famous traditions like Buddhism and Jainism. Jain philosophy teaches that the universe is eternal and uncreated. It also teaches ahimsa, which is the idea of non-violence. These thinkers have different views on things like God and the soul.

Hinduism is a very large way of life in South Asia. It has about one billion followers today. It is the third-largest religion in the world. Many people call it Sanatana Dharma, which means "the eternal way." Hinduism does not have just one single founder. Instead, it grew from many different Indian cultures and traditions.

Many of these ideas connect to how people act every day. For example, people think about karma and dharma. Karma is the idea that our actions matter. Dharma can mean duty or virtue. Some schools, like Yoga, use meditation to find peace. Other thinkers, like the poet Valluvar, wrote about these ideas in special literature.

Eastern philosophy encompasses a vast range of intellectual traditions from Asia.

This includes Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese philosophies in East Asia. It also includes Indian philosophy, which is dominant in South and Southeast Asia. These traditions explore how the world works and how humans should live. Some call these systems Asian or Oriental philosophy. They represent diverse ways of understanding reality, ethics, and the soul.

Indian philosophy, or dárśana, refers to ancient world views from the Indian subcontinent. Many of these traditions have roots in the Indus Valley civilization. Hinduism is a major part of this, often called Sanātana Dharma, or "the eternal law." Hinduism has about one billion followers today. This makes it the world's third-largest religion, following Christianity and Islam. It is not a single set of beliefs but a fusion of many cultures.

Philosophers in India categorize schools as either orthodox or heterodox. Orthodox schools, known as āstika, accept the Vedas as a valid source of knowledge. There are six major orthodox Hindu schools: Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mīmāṃsā, and Vedanta. Heterodox schools, or nāstika, do not follow the Vedas. These include Jainism, Buddhism, Ajivika, Ajñana, and Cārvāka. These groups differ on topics like the existence of gods or the soul.

Each school uses specific methods to study knowledge, called pramana. The Nyāya school focuses on epistemology, which is the study of how we know things. They believe suffering comes from ignorance and liberation comes from correct knowledge. They use four pramanas: perception, inference, comparison, and testimony. The Vaisheshika school is a naturalist tradition focused on atomism. They believe the universe is made of indestructible atoms called paramāṇu.

Other traditions offer different views on the nature of reality. Sāmkhya is a dualist tradition that views the universe as consciousness (puruṣa) and matter (prakṛti). The Yoga school is closely related but emphasizes meditation and liberation. While Sāmkhya often criticized the idea of a god, Yoga allows for one. Mīmāṃsā focuses on the study of rituals and the Vedas. They believe the Vedas are eternal and authorless.

Vedānta, or "end of the Vedas," is another major group of traditions. It focuses on the relationship between Brahman, the ultimate reality, and Ātman, the individual soul. There are several sub-traditions like Advaita, which is non-dualism, and Dvaita, which is dualism. Vedanta became a dominant part of Hinduism in the post-medieval period. It relies on the Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras, and the Bhagavad Gita as its primary sources.

Heterodox traditions like Jainism provide different perspectives on existence. Jain philosophy is a transtheistic tradition that denies an omnipotent creator god. It teaches that the universe is eternal and uncreated. A central concept in Jainism is ahimsa, which means non-violence. They also explore the idea of karma and the liberation of the soul. These thinkers have shaped many different ways of viewing morality and the universe.

These philosophical systems connect to many areas of human life. They include political philosophy, as seen in the Arthashastra from the 4th century BCE. They even cover the philosophy of love, found in the Kama Sutra. Literature like the Kural, written by the poet Valluvar, also reflects these deep ideas. From ancient texts to modern debates, these traditions continue to influence how people think about life.