Lecturer__ Professor Dr San Tun Module No.

1113__ Buddhist
Philosophy

What is Philosophy (what I understand the chapter -1)

The word philosophy comes from two Greek words: philein meaning “love of” or “friendship
for”, and sophia meaning “wisdom”. So we can call it is the “love of wisdom”. It involves
questioning about the nature of the world and human beings.

If we are going to learn the philosophy, we have to know two periods; Before Socrates and
After Socratics. Philosophy of pre-Socratics was not systematic but just thinking who I was and
answering what was the beginning of world. About the 6 B.C, there was formal philosophy
especially in Asia. Later period of Socrates, philosophy changed into the source of knowledge. The
philosophers emphasized the inner life of human being rather than the external world round them.
They thought about truth, beauty, justice and goodness. They considered the awareness, value,
attainment of wisdom and reasoning of beings. According to Plato, even as the individual should be
controlled and governed by his reasoning mind, so society should be governed by its mind, the wise
ruler.

If people have heard anything about philosophy or philosophers, they think that they are
ivory towers, they are intelligent and lonely people, they have much time, and they respond any
setbacks without complaining. It is misconception. They wonder, investigate and question everything
by asking the what, why, how, where and when question about the world and oneself. What they are
doing like is what to know the sources of problems.

If we are going to think about something, we need to be based on three areas such as the
study of reality and what are real (metaphysics), ethics and the study of knowledge (epistemology).
We have to ask ourselves what, why, when was that and so on. Then we make discussion of
problems and analysis and integrative which are useful and helpful for us. But when we are thinking
about the word and oneself, we have to take care of our thinking, need to be mindful and need to
know our limit. If not, they might be the extremist. So the importance of philosophers is that
knowing themselves who we are and what we are doing.

The systematic philosophy can make people think and be more aware and can help people
become more tolerant. Then it can support how to sort the problem systematically. If people question
deeply and analyze and evaluate everything carefully, then they have a good chance to become more
consistent in living their lives.

DCUM/004__ Ashin Paňňāsīri