KNYGA Bhikkhu Analayo In Love with Wisdom

Bridging early Buddhist thought and ancient Greek philosophy, In Love with Wisdom offers a fresh glimpse into the ethics and metaphysics of the time, revealing how figures like Heraclitus and Socrates were grappling with the same ideas as the early Buddhists.“Is it not also clear that by knowing themselves people experience the most good things, and by being deceived about themselves they suffer the most evils?” This question, posed by Socrates, cuts to the heart of both ancient Greek philosophy and early Buddhism. What does it mean to know oneself, and is there even a self to know? In Love with Wisdom invites readers into a cross-cultural dialogue between these two classical traditions, tied together by their shared commitment to inquiry and ethical living. In this unique collaboration, classicist Alexandra Pappas and venerable scholar-monk Bhikkhu Analayo open a new contemplative path by exploring how timeless Buddhist teachings echo—often strikingly—in the earliest voices of Western philosophy. Beginning with the thoughts of Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, and Socrates, Alexandra Pappas examines their ideas on impermanence, selfhood, the four elements, ethical living, and rebirth. Bhikkhu Analayo then takes up these same ideas through the lens of early Buddhism, revealing parallels and illuminating contrasts in unexpected places. Rather than focusing on historical influence or cross-cultural borrowing, the authors uncover shared human concerns and distinctive philosophical responses, enriching our understanding of early Buddhist thought by seeing it alongside other ancient explorations in a shared love of wisdom. Accessible to general readers and engaging for students of philosophy, classics, and Buddhism, In Love with Wisdom is a dialogue across time and tradition that sheds new light on familiar teachings and opens space for fresh reflection. It invites anyone curious about these early wisdom traditions to consider how practicing these ancient teachings can be informed—and enriched—by looking to both Eastern and Western philosophies. Contents I Introduction People and Places Sources and Reception Impermanence: Heraclitus Introduction The River Fragments Fire and Other Expressions of Change Epistemology and the Senses Summary Being and Not Being: Parmenides Introduction The Proem The Way of Truth The Opinions of Mortals Summary The Four Elements and Ethical Purification: Empedocles Introduction The Four Elements and Love and Strife The Senses Ethics and Purification Summary Examining Life, Approaching Death: Socrates Introduction Socrates as Teacher Socrates on Ethics, Knowledge, and Truth Socrates’s Trial and Death Summary II Introduction The Teachings of the Buddha The Ancient Setting The Buddha in Debate An Early Encounter between Greeks and Indians Impermanence: Early Buddhism The Early Buddhist Conception of Impermanence A Radicalization of Impermanence From Impermanence to Dukkha The Significance of Dukkha Not-self The Chariot Simile Summary Being and Not Being: Early Buddhism Beyond Being and Non-being Dependent Arising The Buddha’s Investigation of Dependent Arising Three Links Preceding Birth Three Links Leading up to Craving Consciousness and Name-and-Form The Scope of the Pre-Awakening Investigation Summary The Four Elements and Ethical Purification: Early Buddhism The Four Elements The Buddha’s Recollection of Past Lives The Divine Eye The Third Higher Knowledge Liberation Summary Examining Life, Approaching Death: Early Buddhism The Emergence of Mindfulness The Four Establishments of Mindfulness Mindfulness of Breathing Mindfulness Mindfulness as One’s Refuge Mindfully Letting Go of Life Mindfully Passing Away Summary Conclusion Abbreviations Reference