Understanding Eastern Philosophy (PDF)

Has Western religion come to the end of the road? Ray Billington, renowned for his direct and accessible writing, considers how far Western religious and philosophical thinking can be enriched by the ideas of India and China. Understanding Eastern Philosophy is both a comprehensive overview of, and an outstanding introduction to, the key philosophies of the East and how they compare with those of the West. Ray Billington clearly presents the key tenets of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Jainism, Yin and Yang, and Confucianism, comparing and contrasting them with Western religions.
Understanding Eastern Philosophy is also a response to increasing doubt in the West about the value of formal expressions of religious belief, and the concurrent search for other sources offering a spiritual dimension to life. Ray Billington challenges theism, particularly Christianity, with its belief in a personal God bestowing a certain version of 'truth', and rejects the idea of the immortality of the soul. Teasing out the central themes of religious philosophy, he concludes that a belief in the spiritual is essential and that the universal mysticism characteristic of Eastern thought provides a more realistic and rewarding path than is commonly supposed in the West.