Buddhism On the Go

In the long history of Western philosophy, the search for a foundation of reality has been a consistent pursuit. From Plato's forms to Descartes' cogito , thinkers have sought to identify an ultimate substance, a fixed essence, or a singular first cause that explains all of existence. This deeply ingrained metaphysical framework shapes how we understand not just the universe, but our own place within it, positing a world of independent, self-contained entities and linear causality. Early Buddhism, however, offers a profoundly different and compelling perspective that directly challenges these foundational assumptions. The principle of Dependent Origination (Pa ṭ iccasamuppāda) is a cornerstone of the Buddha's teachings, and it stands in stark contrast to the Western quest for a fixed reality. It proposes that all phenomena—be they physical objects, emotions, or thoughts—arise not from a singular, ultimate cause, but in dependence on a complex web of other conditions. T...

Beyond its dimensions of ethics and meditative practice, early Buddhist philosophy offers a profound analysis of the nature of knowledge, perception, and the illusions that arise, as documented in the Pali Canon. Predating scientific knowledge of the brain and modern phenomenology , Buddhism undertook a deconstruction of the very nature of perception and the reality we experience. This ancient wisdom offers powerful insights that directly resonate with some of the most significant questions in contemporary philosophy and science. Perception as an Internal Construction One of the central tenets of Buddhist philosophy is the understanding that perception is not a neutral reflection of an external world, but an internal construction of the mind. Buddhist teachings describe perception as a complex process arising from the interplay of sensory data, consciousness, and mental fabrications ( sankhara ). This framework bears a remarkable congruence with modern cognitive science, which dem...