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Indian philosophy (Sanskrit: ''darśhana'') comprises the philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent. Since medieval India (ca.1000–1500), schools of Indian philosophical thought have been classified by the Brahmanical tradition〔 as either orthodox or non-orthodox – āstika or nāstika – depending on whether they regard the Vedas as an infallible source of knowledge.〔''Oxford Dictionary of World Religions'', p. 259〕 There are six schools of orthodox Hindu philosophy—Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mīmāṃsā and Vedanta—and three heterodox schools—Jain, Buddhist and Cārvāka. However, there are other methods of classification; Vidyaranya for instance identifies sixteen schools of Indian philosophy by including those that belong to the Śaiva and Raseśvara traditions.〔Cowell and Gough, p. xii.〕 The main schools of Indian philosophy were formalised chiefly between 1000 BCE to the early centuries of the Common Era. According to philosopher Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the earliest of these, which date back to the composition of the Upanishads in the later Vedic period (1000–500 BCE), constitute "the earliest philosophical compositions of the world."〔p 22, ''The Principal Upanisads'', Harper Collins, 1994〕 Competition and integration between the various schools was intense during their formative years, especially between 800 BCE and 200 CE. Some schools like Jainism, Buddhism, Śaiva and Advaita Vedanta survived, but others, like Samkhya and Ājīvika, did not; they were either assimilated or went extinct. Subsequent centuries produced commentaries and reformulations continuing up to as late as the 20th century by Sri Aurobindo and Prabhupāda among others. For Indian philosophers (''dārśanika'') of antiquity, philosophy was a practical necessity that needed to be cultivated to understand how life can best be led. It was thus customary for them to explain how their ideas and treatises served human ends (''puruṣārtha''). Indian philosophy is distinctive in its application of analytical rigour to metaphysical problems. It goes into very precise detail about the nature of reality, the structure and function of the human psyche, and how the relationship between the two have important implications for human salvation (''moksha''). Sages (''rishis'') centred philosophy on the assumption that there is a unitary underlying order (''ṛta'') in the universe and everything within it. The various schools concentrated on explaining this order and the metaphysical entity at its source (''Brahman''). The concept of natural law (''dharma'') was the basis for understanding how life on earth should be lived. ==Common themes== The Indian thinkers of antiquity (very much like those of the Hellenistic schools) viewed philosophy as a practical necessity that needed to be cultivated in order to understand how life can best be led. It became a custom for Indian writers to explain at the beginning of philosophical works how it serves human ends ().〔Chatterjee and Datta, p. 12.〕 Recent scholarship has shown that there was a great deal of intercourse between Greek and Indian philosophy during the era of Hellenistic expansion.〔See McEvilley (2002)〕 Indian philosophy is distinctive in its application of analytical rigour to metaphysical problems and goes into very precise detail about the nature of reality, the structure and function of the human psyche and how the relationship between the two have important implications for human salvation (''moksha''). Rishis centred philosophy on an assumption that there is a unitary underlying order (rta) in the universe〔Flood, (1996) pp. 45, 47.〕 which is all pervasive and omniscient. The efforts by various schools were concentrated on explaining this order and the metaphysical entity at its source (Brahman). The concept of natural law (Dharma) provided a basis for understanding questions of how life on earth should be lived. The sages urged humans to discern this order and to live their lives in accordance with it. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Indian philosophy」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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