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T.R.V. Murti was an original and leading thinker among the Indian philosophers of the twentieth century. He had a brilliant philosophical mind, a love of analysis and argument, and a respect for texts, especially the ones with which he disagreed, as seen in his most important book, The Central Philosophy of Buddhism.
With both traditional "Shastri" training and a Western style Ph.D., Murti was able to bring both strengths to his writing and teaching. Murti knew everything by heart, all the Sutra texts, the Upanisads and other philosophical classics, Panini’s grammar, and Patanjali’s "great commentary" and other core texts. Upon that foundation, he evaluated doctrines and ideas.
Though a philosopher of the classical type, he was also alive to the latest philosophical currents of his day and effectively related the wisdom of traditional teaching to contemporary questions. It was this last quality that made him a most sought after teacher by students from around the world. Murti spoke with such eloquence and authority that few would dare to interrupt him. He represented the best of the Indian philosophical tradition to the world through his teaching at places such as Oxford, Copenhagen, Harvard, Hawaii, and McMaster University in Canada.
This book offers an overview and assessment of Murti’s scholarship on Buddhism in its Brahmanical context, Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism, philosophy of language and philosophy of spirit. The book begins with a biography of Murti and a discussion of the philosophical influences upon him. Also included is a complete list of Murti’s writings.
About the Author:
Harold Coward is Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Calgary Institute for the Humanities at the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is author of Bhartrhari, Sphota Theory of Language and Pluralism: Challenge to World Religions, along with other books and articles.
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