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Description
An exploration of the nature of joy and delight through the lens of classical Indian philosophy.
In this study, Stephen Phillips conveys the experiential and philosophical richness of the concept of ananda. Often translated as “joy,” “bliss,” or “delight,” it occupies a central place in the early Upanisads (c. 800–400 BCE). While no single English word fully captures its meaning, Phillips explains why ananda has been appropriated by philosophies around the world.
Phillips focuses on the earliest formulations in the Upanisads, where it is closely linked to meditation. He addresses differing interpretations, from the possibility of entering a state of profound delight by setting aside desires to ananda as intrinsic to the self (atman), revealed rather than produced in meditation.
Drawing on teachings of influential figures such as Shankara and Abhinavagupta, together with modern Indian thinkers like Tagore and Aurobindo, Phillips engages with prominent Indologists and contemporary scholars. He discusses philosophers including Descartes, Hume, and Rawls alongside Milton and Kipling.
Phillips shows how ananda has become a cornerstone of spiritual inquiry and practice across Indian traditions, including Vedantic, yogic, tantric, later Buddhist, and Jain contexts. His inclusive and comprehensive approach highlights the universality of reflections on joy, consciousness, and human experience.
Table of Contents
Introduction: If Brahman Is ananda, How Is Pain Possible?
Part I Advaita Philosophy of Beauty
1. Sources for a Philosophy of Brahman and Beauty
2. Early Upani?ads: The Ineffable Absolute as “Being-Consciousness-Bliss”
3. Tantric Advaita: Brahman as “Consciousness-Force”
4. Advaita Ethics and Theory of the Person
5. Rational Theology in Classical Advaita and Nyaya
6. The “Lord” as Standard-Setter according to the Bhagavad Gita
7. The Aesthetic Literature: rasa, “Aesthetic Relishing”
8. Advaita Philosophy of Beauty
Part II. Upanisadic Passages about ananda
Holistic Pleasure according to the Chandogya Upaniad
The Psychology of Delight according to the Bhadarayaka Upanisad
The “Honey” of Self
A Single Seer “Without Duality,” advaita
Degrees of Delight
Likeness to Self
The Bliss of Brahman according to the Taittiriya Upanisad
The “Sheath” Theory of the Person
The Excellence of Creation and Its “Essence”
Bliss after Death
Yoga (tapas, “heat”) Leads to Bliss
The Bliss of Deep Sleep according to the Manukya Upanisad
Self-discovery according to the Katha Upanisad
Indescribable “Happiness” (sukha) according to the Katha Upanisad
Occult, Self-Luminous Brahman according to the Mundaka Upanisad
The Way to Brahman
The End of Ills (asubha) according to the Bhagavad Gita
Meditation Leading to the Touch of Brahman
From the Saundarya-lahari, “The Flood of Beauty”
Conclusion: The Teleology of Perfectionism
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Product details
| Published | Apr 15 2027 |
|---|---|
| Format | Hardback |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 208 |
| ISBN | 9781350671737 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Dimensions | 9 x 5 inches |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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