Metaphysics as Therapy

List-Making and Renunciation in Gnostic Yogas

Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette

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English

Springer Nature Switzerland AG
01 April 2025

Philosophy: metaphysics & ontology; Spiritualism

Series: Indian Philosophy: Past and Present

This book examines the significance of metaphysical list-making as a determining feature of ‘spiritual exercises’ in South Asian gnostic yogas. It examines how these ancient traditions sought spiritual transformation through the dialectical practice of taxonomy. It highlights the gnostic thread that intersects ‘spiritual exercises’ and ‘ways of life’ in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jaina circles. It fills a gap in yoga studies by proposing a new understanding of jñāna-yoga (yoga of knowledge). Departing from mainstream Anglophone philosophical traditions, it articulates an original meta-theory of philosophical practice, explaining how philosophy can be 'therapeutic' in concrete terms. The book theorizes yogic Gnosticism, as a South Asian religious undercurrent and as a distinctive form of philosophical practice and ascetic way of life internalizing a sacrificial worldview. Finally, the book analyzes four literary case studies, presenting therapeutic methods in competing gnostic traditions, namely, the Verses on Sāṃkhya of Īśvarakṛṣṇa; the Advaita Instructions on the Doctrine of Gauḍapāda; the Buddhist Heart Sūtra; and the Twelve Contemplations of the Jaina Kundakunda. The groundbreaking multidisciplinary and trans-sectarian book offers a must-read for scholars across the fields of world philosophy and religious studies.

By: Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette
Imprint: Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Country of Publication: Switzerland
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 155mm,
ISBN: 9789819625550
ISBN 10: 9819625556
Series: Indian Philosophy: Past and Present
Pages: 323
Publication Date: 01 April 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

List Making: From Universal to Spiritual Exercise.- Gnostic Yoga as Philosophical Practice.- Case Studies in South Asian Gnostic Spiritual Exercises.- Conclusion.

Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette is Assistant Professor at the Department of Philosophy (DoP), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE). Following his Ph.D. in Munich, he pursued post-doctoral research in Leiden and Gent. His first monograph was Dialogue and Doxography in Indian Philosophy (Routledge, 2020).