Citta

Matthew Kapstein mkapstei at MIDWAY.UCHICAGO.EDU
Thu Aug 26 10:42:12 UTC 2004


In fact I have doubts about the pre-Buddhist credentials of
ChAndogya VII, at least in the form in which it has
come down to us. I have discussed  this text in "Indra's
Search for the Self," reprinted in my book Reason's Traces
(Wisdom 2001). In particular, the typically Buddhist
use there of upa-labh (Reason's Traces, pp. 79ff), when considered
together with the actual content of the argument, suggests the
possibility that the final redaction occurred only
after Buddhist ideas were current. But I would be
interested to know how others interpret these data.

Note, however, that it does not make good sense in this
case to hold that early Buddhist material is
just reflecting the general Upanishadic milieu. ChAndogya
VII seems excpetional in both vocabulary and content,
and so cannot be taken to represent Upanishadic generalities.

Matthew Kapstein

On Tue, 24 Aug 2004, Valerie J Roebuck wrote:

> The Upanishadic ones are: ChAndogya VII.5 (twice), KauSItakI III.3,
> Prazna III.10 and MaitrI IV.6 (or in some editions VI.34 ), in a
> sequenceof verses.  The first I think would be considered
> pre-Buddhist by practically everybody.  The last would be considered
> post-Buddhist, and indeed Buddhist-influenced, by most.
>
> Valerie J Roebuck
> Manchester, UK
>
> >I wonder if anybody could tell me of any early attested occurences of the
> >word "citta" (mind etc) in early upanishadic or vedic texts -- in other
> >words, any probable pre-Buddhist occurences.  I ask because I do not have
> >access at present to indexes or searchable texts.  Many thanks.
> >
> >Stephen Hodge
>





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