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Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition

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Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition

By: Grant Hardy, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Grant Hardy
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About this listen

Western philosophy is a vast intellectual tradition, the product of thousands of years of revolutionary thought built up by a rich collection of brilliant minds. But to understand the Western intellectual tradition is to get only half the story. The Eastern intellectual tradition has made just as important a contribution - and is also the product of thousands of years of cumulative thought by a distinct group of brilliant thinkers.

Their ideas demonstrate wholly different ways of approaching and solving the same fundamental issues that concerned the West's greatest thinkers, such as the existence of God, the meaning of life and the nature of truth and reality.

This epic and comprehensive 36-lecture examination of the East's most influential philosophers and thinkers - from a much-honored teacher and scholar - offers a thought-provoking look at the surprising connections and differences between East and West. By introducing you to the people-including The Buddha, Ashoka, Prince Shotoku, Confucius, and Gandhi - responsible for molding Asian philosophy and for giving birth to a wide variety of spiritual and ideological systems, it will strengthen your knowledge of cultures that play increasingly important roles in our globalized 21st-century world.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2011 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2011 The Great Courses Buddhism
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Most relevant
I only knew bits and pieces about the history and philosophy of India, China, Japan and Korea until I listened to Hardy's lectures. There's a lot of ground to cover but I now feel like I have a decent overview from which I can explore further. Highly recommended.

Fascinating overview of Eastern thought

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A sweeping introduction to a broad array of intellectual traditions across Asia, which is worth listening to over and over again. The narrator/author comes across not only as knowledgeable, but genuinely passionate about sharing this journey with everyone. The narrator comes across as very personable--it feels more like having a conversation under a Bodhi tree than listening to a lecture in a large hall. Content-wise, I came in expecting a straight philosophical perspective, but it was more a blend of history, religion, and philosophy--which is more congruent with the theme that is being discussed. Definitely would recommend. Would love a "part two" someday.

definitely recommended

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Worth listening to more than once... I wish I had listened before living in China, and it made me want to go back...

Excellent

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Amazing course. Long but consider the breadth of the content, I'd say it was one of the best philosophical introductions I've heard or read.

Great minds expertly presented

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Wonderful! I found it challenging early on, but grew to love this enriching and stimulating course. It has increased my understanding of world history, introduced me to Confucian teachings and the Tao de Ching which I now love, and encouraged me to learn more about a number of other amazing minds from history and their teachings.

Wonderful insight into eastern philosophies

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This will give you a great introduction to many of the most important thinkers of history. There are a lot of names and ideas to take in, but it's incredibly enthusiastically read by Grant Hardy, who has impressively deep knowledge and who has organised and ordered everything very well.
It might open you up to read further on several topics or people.
Well worth it!

A great introduction to Eastern thinking

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An entertaining, accessible course on Eastern Philosophy. But why is it filed under "Religion" and not "Philosophy" by Audible?

Lively, witty course.

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Sublime and masterfully written. One would consider themselves lucky to hear only a tenth of the insights Grant shares with us.

Fantastic overview of Eastern thought

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Dr. Hardy knows the material in a way that is natural. His passion shows in how he lectures. It flows like a conversation, teasing out the religious, artistic, political and deeply philosophic. I deepened my knowledge on people and philosophy.

I absolutely recommend this book to anyone with even a passing interest in eastern thought

A clean and surprisingly detailed sweep

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Loved every lecture, this covered thinkers across India, China, Japan and Korea. The lecturer was engaging, polite and easy to listen to and each lecture hit the right note. In particular I enjoyed the way the lecturer linked the ideas throughout the series, demonstrating how earlier ideas progressed and influenced future thought.

Fantastic intellectual ideas, thoroughly enjoyable lectures

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