In this specialization, we explore the similar, analogous conceptual and methodological elements and points of connection between Buddhist and Western philosophy, primarily through the reading and interpretation of texts in English and Pali. Specifically:
In some Buddhist schools, metaphysics largely meant the same as in the West: the understanding of truths beyond the empirical world, inaccessible to the senses, through inference.
While differing in aims and character, epistemology in both the East and the West ultimately concerns the methods of knowledge, the nature of knowing, and, not least, the knower themselves.
One of the most influential Mahāyāna schools, Yogācāra—or Cittamātra (“mind-only”)—has been compared to solipsism by earlier scholars and to phenomenology by contemporary thinkers. It represents one of the most fascinating intellectual explorations of the reality vs. appearance problem.
Here, we examine aspects of Western cognitive science that share affinities with Buddhist philosophy—or were even influenced by it—such as the Embodied Mind thesis, cognitive linguistics, and neurophenomenology.
Accordingly, we place great emphasis on analyzing and interpreting the oldest (Pali) Buddhist texts, uncovering their hidden connections and dispelling many misconceptions about Buddhism.
This specialization is essentially a continuation of the undergraduate (BA) religious and philosophical history specialization at the master’s (MA) level. Therefore, we welcome not only those interested in Buddhism but also anyone fascinated by the commonalities between religious and philosophical thought in general.
