Uploaded on October 1, 2003
Department of the History of Indian Philosophy
Kyoto University
Outline of the Department
The currents of philosophical and religious thought in pre-classical and classical India are the subject of study in this department on the basis of Sanskrit materials. Elementary Sanskrit is a prerequisite for those who will major in the History of Indian Philosophy. Both undergraduate and graduate students are trained to read the philosophical treatises (darzanas) of NyAya, VaizeSika, SAmkhya, Yoga, MImAMsA, VedAnta and other schools, and to acquire a mastery of the philological and thought-historical methods of research. They are also advised to take some of the courses offered in the departments of Sanskrit and Buddhist Studies. Seminars are primarily for graduate students and arranged on specialized subjects such as the Logic of Udayana's argumentation against the Buddhist doctrine of momentariness or grammatical thoughts and ontological thoughts in early Jaina doctrine. Every year two or three lectures are invited from other institutions to give courses on subjects in which staff members of the Department are not specialized.
The chairperson, Prof. Akamatsu is a specialist of the Logic, Epistemology and linguistic Philosophy in classical India.
Our department assumes the office for the Association for the Study of the History of Indian Thought and issues Studies in the History of Indian Thought annually. The Department is managed in close relationship with the Department of Sanskrit Language and Literature and the Department of Buddhist Studies. These three Departments form the Association of Indological and Buddhist Studies, Kyoto University.
Staff Members (2003 academic year)
Professor AKAMATSU Akihiko, Ph.D. (Paris III), Logic and Linguistic Philosophy in Classical India
Professor IKARI Yasuke (Institute of Humanistic Studies, Kyoto University), Ph.D. (Chicago), Vedic Ritual
Lecturer FUJII Masato (Associate Professor of the Institute of Humanistic Studies, Kyoto University), SAmaveda Tradition
Lecturer KURODA Hiroshi (Professor of Osaka Gakuin University), MImaaMsA and VedAnta Studies
Lecturer MOTEGI Shujun (Professor of Shinshu University), SaaMkhya and Yoga
Lecturer YMASHITA Tsutomu (Associate Professor of Kyoto Gakuen University), CarakasaMhitaa
Other Members (2003 academic year)
Ms. SUGITA Mizue, BRhatsaMhitA
Mr. MUROYA Yasutaka, NyAya and VaizeSika
Ms. NODA Tomoko, VAdhUla ZrautasUtra
Mr. NAGATA Keisuke, Cultural History of India
Ms. YAMAGUCHI Nariko, Avadana Literature
Mr. UEDA Masahiro,
Mr. IKEHATA Koreto,
Ms. SHINODA Junko,
Mr. KANABISHI Tetsuhiro,
Mr. KODA Hiroo,
Courses (2003 academic year)
Lecture: Outline of the History of Indian Philosophy by Prof. Akamatsu
Studies: DvAdazAranayacakra by Prof. Akamatsu
Studies: Philosophy of ZaGkara by Prof. Kuroda
Studies: Studies on MokSadharma of MBh by Prof. Motegi
Studies: Studies on CarakasaMhitaa by Prof. Yamashita
Reading: VAdhUla ZrautasUtra by Prof. Ikari
Reading: Texts of VaizeSika by Prof. Akamatsu
Reading: Zatapatha BrAhmaNa by Prof. Fujii