Introduction on a Comparative study of Chinese and Indian history, Philosophy and Culture

ArttatranaNayak
Visva-Bharati University

The major question I would like to discuss here in brief is about the history, philosophy and culture of the two people of ancient China and India. The following points for a detailed discussion, within the time limits, have been derived only from my study of this subject. First, the viewpoint that both the ancient socio-political-cultural systems of China and India fall under the category of backward and traditional type of oriental despotism needs to be re-examined from a comparative perspective of studying Chinese and Indian historic past. Second, the history of the people as to wherefrom they came and how they lived together through a long process of racial conflict and assimilation to ultimately identify themselves as one need to be examined which has an inalienable impact in the evolution of their ideological, philosophical and cultural system and the history of the gradual evolution and formation of their state and polity. Third, there is a great deal of relevance of both materialistic and metaphysical approach in this comparative study of two people living in two distant lands of different ecological conditions.The above noted diversities on ecological conditions are found to have formed the chief basis for the later human attempts to rationalize their ideas and thoughts and thus develop the obvious trend of their future philosophical system. So far the Chinese wee concerned,  as both the natural struggle and production struggle had proved to be inordinately tough for the Chinese, they had to mostly rely on collective and cooperative human efforts in subjugating nature and inimical natural forces. From this communal stage of living together, the ancient Chinese came to realize the necessity of strong solidarity and the formation of such a strong political organization called state based on the religious concept of the “tian-ming” (天命) or the mandate of heaven with one centre of power. But, the land of Aryabartta, on the contrary, witnessed several centers of political power administered both by republican and the monarchical system of government during the early Vedic period. However, the Indian states too, at a later stage of its development, had singularly adopted the monarchical system of administration. There are thus multiple features of state and the polity in ancient China and India which demonstrate both similarities and dissimilarities

中印历史、哲学及文化比较研究导论

那济世
印度维斯巴拉蒂大学

本文将详细讨论以下几点，首先，需要从中印历史比较的角度重新审视下面这一观点，即中印两国古代社会-政治-文化体系都属于传统而又落后的东方专制主义。第二，民族的历史，即他们从哪里来，又 如何共同生活，他们如何历经民族的冲突与融合，直到最终形成统一的民族观念，这对这个民族的思想体系、哲学系统及文化系统的演变，以及这个民族的国家与政 体的逐步演变与形成有着不可磨灭的影响。第三，这两个遥远的国度有着不同的生态条件，在对这两个民族进行比较研究时，唯物主义和形而上学的方法都很重要。 当后人试图对自己的观点与思考进行合理解释并因此发展出其未来哲学体系的明确走向时，上文所指出的生态条件方面的差异构成了首要基础。就中华民族而言，由 于需要同自然与农作物生产进行极为艰苦的搏斗，为战胜自然与各种不利自然力量，他们不得不在绝大多数情况下依赖人类集体合作力量。从集体居住这个群体阶段 开始，古代中国人逐渐认识到有必要密切团结并组成国家这种强有力的政治组织，这个政治组织的基础是“天命”或天授神权于某个权力中心这一宗教概念。相反， 雅利安国所在地区则见证了几个政治权力中心的兴起，在吠陀时代前期，这些权力中心的政治管理方式或为共和国制或为君主制。但是，在后一阶段发展中，这些印 度古国都采取了君主制这一管理方式。因此，古代中国与古代印度存在国家与政体方面体现出了多种特征，表明两国之间存在着相似性与差异性。