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Chapter 1. Introduction: Indian philosophy of religion

india is the original home for four world religions: hinduism, buddhism, jainism, and sikhism. she also houses many other world religions. islam is the most prominent one, and besides, there have been Jews and Christians in India from very ancient times. If knowing a lot of science is helpful for developing a philosophy of science, knowing a lot of religions should be considered helpful in developing a philosophy of religion.

... ancient Indian culture not only admitted boldly, but also accommodated, the variety of human nature, variety of tastes, views, approaches, etc. ... The philosophy of religion I wish to develop, should recognize this manifoldness of the human mind, this variety of equally viable views, even 'manysidedness of the total truth' (if I am allowed to borrow a term from the Jainas). [though] my imaginary friend will whisper, "truth is one and absolute. Hence if you allow relativism of this sort you have not seen the truth."...

If we can discover the deep structure, so to say, of each great religious tradition, an awareness of the fundamental unity of man may emerge out of this discovery, which would be extremely valuable in a world where we have frequent cases of Moradabad, Middle-East, and Northern Ireland.

Socrates said in his apology, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Sanskrit philosophers say, yuktisiddhaM vacho grAhyam. I wish to say, "No unexamined religion is worth practising..."

	yuktiyuktam vacho grAhyam, bAladapi ShukAdapi !
	yuktihInam vachas tyAjyam, vridhAdapi shukAdapi !!

	Whatever is consistent with reason should be accepted even
	is spoken by a child or a parrot; and whatever is
	inconsistent should be rejected even if said by
	a patriarch or even the great sage Shuka himself.

An old Chinese (or Buddhist) proverb says, "You cannot see the forest because
of the trees or trees because of the forest."

Chapter 2 Duhkha

[The theme that binds Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, and perhaps, Sikhism:
Duhkha underlines] the undesirability or non-finality of the worldly life for
persons who strive to discover a higher, better, greater, and transcendent
truth beyond all this. - p.11

Most philosophical schools of classical India generally agree that this world
as it is, is nothing but suffering and pain, all our moments of pleasure
being only pain in disguise.  This thesis which Prof. Eliade has called "the
Pain-Existence equation", would be [akin to pessimism] except that each
school talks about a way (mArga) to escape this suffering, a way to the
cessation of suffering. 13

[Proposes that the pain thesis is more a prescription than a description]
compares the opening lines of sAMkhya-kArikA by ishvara-kriShNa, with
Spinoza's opening in "On the improvement of the Understanding,":

   After experience that taught me that all the usual surroundings of ordinary
   life are vain and futile seeing that none of the objects of my fears
   contained in themselves anything either good or bad, except in so far as
   the mind is affected by them; I finally resolved to inquire whether there
   might be [?by] some real good having power to communicate itself, which
   would affect the mind singly, to the exclusion of all else; whether
   indeed, there might be anything of which the discovery and attainment
   would enable me to enjoy continuous, supreme, and unending happiness.

Other chapters

3. PROBLEM OF EVIL.
4. SCEPTICISM.
5. WORD AND OBJECT I.
6. WORD AND OBJECT II (Apoha).
7. INEFFABILITY.
8. NECESSITY AND INDIAN LOGIC.
9. RELIGION AND THE STUDY OF COMPARATIVE RELIGION.

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The distinctive feature of this work is that the author was consciously
motivated by contemporary historical experience: the frequent conflict
between communities which have coalesced around different religious
beliefs. 'If we can discover,' he wrote in the introduction to this book,
'the deep structure, so to say, of each great religious tradition, an
awareness of the fundamental unity of man may emerge out of this discovery,
which would be extremely valuable today, in fact, priceless in a world where
we have frequent cases of Moradabad, Middle-East, and Northern Ireland.'
Needless to say, in our world today the agenda so clearly articulated by
Matilal remains relevant.

Matilal took great care to avoid using technical language as the readers he
wished to address are not limited to the circle of professional
philosophers. To read this work by one of the finest Indian minds of our
times is a rewarding experience.

ed. Heeraman Tiwari: teaches history of ancient Indian ideas and Sanskrit at
the centre for historical studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. He has
a Ph.D. in Sanskrit from Delhi University and D. Phil in Indian Philosophy
from Balliol College, Oxford. He has edited (with Jonardan Ganeri) Bimal
Krishna Matilal's The Character of Logic in India and is currently working on
two new books, From the Word to the World and What is Hinduism?" (jacket)