India has a long, rich, and diverse tradition of philosophical thought, spanning some two and a half millenia and encompassing several major religious traditions. Sue Hamilton explores how the traditions have attempted to understand the nature of reality in terms of inner or spiritual quest and introduces distinctively Indian concepts, such as karma and rebirth. She also explains how Indian thinkers have understood issues of reality and knowledge--issues that are also an important part of the Western philosophical tradition.

1.2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. The word and the book : Bhartrhari, Mimamsa, and Vedanta. 1. Reason and belief : richness and diversity in Indian thought -- 2. The Brahmanical beginnings : sacrifice, cosmic speculation, oneness -- 3. Renouncing the household : the Buddha's middle way -- 4. Issues and justifications : language, grammar, and polemics -- 5. Categories and method : Vais´es?ika and Nya¯ya -- 6. Things and no-things : developments in Buddhist thought -- 7. The witness and the watched : Yoga and Sa¯m?khya -- 8. The word and the book : Bhartr?hari, Mi¯ma¯m?sa¯, and Veda¯nta.