Buddhist Mind and Matter

Journal Title: Religions - Year 2014, Vol 5, Issue 2

Abstract

Classic Buddhist thought understands the mind as arising in dependence on the body. This causal dependence may be fashioned as a kind of “Buddhist materialism”. However, this should not be confused with any variety of scientific materialism, in which ontological and/or causal reductions of mind to brain affirm matter as the fundamental entity or property. Buddhist materialism, in contrast, is a purely phenomenological description that rejects both “mind” and “matter” as entities possessing substance or essential natures. This view questions the presumption that matter is external, real, and scientifically accessible, whereas mind is internal, subjective, and harder to empirically observe. Instead, perceptions of mind and matter are understood to be different kinds of experiences of equal phenomenological reality.

Authors and Affiliations

Francisca Cho

Keywords

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  • EP ID EP25361
  • DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/rel5020422
  • Views 329
  • Downloads 13

How To Cite

Francisca Cho (2014). Buddhist Mind and Matter. Religions, 5(2), -. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-25361