INDIAN PHILOSOPHY
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
General characteristics of Indian philosophy—The natural situation of India—The dominance of the intellectual interest—The individuality of Indian philosophy—The influence of the West—The spiritual character of Indian thought—Its close relation to life and religion— The stress on the subjective—Psychological basis of metaphysics— Indian achievements in positive science—Speculative synthesis and scientific analysis—The brooding East—Monistic idealism—Its varieties, non-dualism, pure monism, modified monism and implicit monism—God is all—The intuitional nature of philosophy—Darsana —Samkara's qualifications of a candidate for the study of philosophy —The constructive conservatism of Indian thought—The unity and continuity of Indian thought—Consideration of some charges levelled against Indian philosophy, such as pessimism, dogmatism, indifference to ethics and unprogressive character—The value of the study of Indian philosophy—The justification of the title “Indian Philosophy” —Historical method-The difficulty of a chronological treatment— The different periods of Indian thought-Vedic, epic, systematic and scholastic—“Indian” histories of Indian philosophy.
I
The Natural Situation of India
For thinking minds to blossom, for arts and sciences to flourish, the first condition necessary is a settled society providing security and leisure. A rich culture is impossible with a community of nomads, where people struggle for life and die of privation. Fate called India to a spot where nature was free with her gifts and every prospect was pleasing. The Himalayas, with their immense range and elevation on one side and the sea on the others, helped to keep India free from invasion for a long time. for a long time. Bounteous nature
