Journal of Buddhist Ethics 18 (2011)
Authors |
|
Abstract |
In the eighth chapter of the Bodhicaryāvatāra, the Buddhist philosopher Śāntideva has often been interpreted as offering an argument that accepting the ultimate nonexistence of the self (anātman) rationally entails a commitment to altruism, the view that one should care equally for self and others. In this essay, I consider reconstructions of Śāntideva’s argument by contemporary scholars Paul Williams, Mark Siderits and John Pettit. I argue that all of these various reconfigurations of the argument fail to be convincing. This suggests that, for Madhyamaka Buddhists, an understanding of anātman does not entail acceptance of the Bodhisattva path, but rather is instrumental to achieving it. Second, it suggests the possibility that in these verses, Śāntideva was offering meditational techniques, rather than making an argument for altruism from the premise of anātman.
|
Keywords | Śāntideva Buddhism Buddhist Ethics Mahayana Buddhism not-self altruism benevolence anatman personal identity ethics |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations.Paul Williams - 1990 - Religious Studies 26 (3):429-431.
Citations of this work BETA
Does Religion Affect the Materialism of Consumers? An Empirical Investigation of Buddhist Ethics and the Resistance of the Self.Stefano Pace - 2013 - Journal of Business Ethics 112 (1):25-46.
Madhyamaka Ethics.Bronwyn Finnigan - 2018 - In Daniel Cozort & James Mark Shields (eds.), Oxford Handbook of Buddhist Ethics. Oxford University Press. pp. 162-183.
Facing Death From a Safe Distance: Saṃvega and Moral Psychology.Lajos L. Brons - 2016 - Journal of Buddhist Ethics 23:83-128.
Does Religion Mitigate Tunneling? Evidence From Chinese Buddhism.Xingqiang Du - 2014 - Journal of Business Ethics 125 (2):1-29.
Moral Agency and the Paradox of Self-Interested Concern for the Future in Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakośabhāṣya.Oren Hanner - 2018 - Sophia 57 (4):591-609.
View all 10 citations / Add more citations
Similar books and articles
Altruism and Reality: Studies in the Philosophy of the Bodhicaryāvatāra.Paul Williams - 1998 - Curzon Press.
Basics of Spiritual Altruism.Sangeetha Menon - 2007 - Journal of Transpersonal Psychology 39 (2):137-152.
Sterba’s Argument From Non-Question-Beggingness for the Rationality of Morality.Duncan Macintosh - 2014 - International Journal of Applied Philosophy 28 (1):171-189.
Identifying the Explanatory Weakness of Strong Altruism: The Needle in the `Haystack Model'.Stephen G. Morris - 2005 - Philosophy of Science 72 (5):1124-1134.
Altruism as a Thick Concept.Michael Schefczyk & Mark Peacock - 2010 - Economics and Philosophy 26 (2):165-187.
Altruism in Medicine: Its Definition, Nature, and Dilemmas.David Steinberg - 2010 - Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 19 (2):249.
Pathological Altruism: Barbara Oakley, Ariel Knafo, Guruprasad Madhavan, and David Sloan Wilson , 2012, Oxford University Press.Katrina A. Bramstedt - 2012 - Journal of Bioethical Inquiry 9 (2):211-212.
Is the Prisoner's Dilemma Metaphor Suitable for Altruism? Distinguishing Self-Control and Commitment From Altruism.Elias L. Khalil - 2002 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 25 (2):264-265.
Psychological Altruism Vs. Biological Altruism: Narrowing the Gap with the Baldwin Effect.Mahesh Ananth - 2005 - Acta Biotheoretica 53 (3):217-239.
Altruism Across Disciplines: One Word, Multiple Meanings.Christine Clavien & Michel Chapuisat - 2013 - Biology and Philosophy 28 (1):125-140.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2014-10-25
Total views
799 ( #9,149 of 2,519,512 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
78 ( #9,765 of 2,519,512 )
2014-10-25
Total views
799 ( #9,149 of 2,519,512 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
78 ( #9,765 of 2,519,512 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads