A fascinating portrait of the Pythagorean tradition, including a substantial account of the Neo-Pythagorean revival, and ending with Johannes Kepler on the threshold of modernism.

This well-known Buddhist text sets forth a series of conditions under which a positive "rebirth" can occur. This essay argues in favor of a symbolic conception of "rebirth" that does not necessitate the recognition of after-death states of consciousness. The practical consequence of this strategy is therapeutic and enlightening even to those who doubt or deny the existence of an afterlife.

The interlink between myth and wisdom in Hellenic heritage is characteristically embodied in the Platonic philosophizing as regards the education and enculturation of the human psyche. As is read in the end of The Republic , the myth of Er turns out to be a philosophical rewriting of poetry to a large degree. For it engagingly reveals Plato’s moral inculcation, philosophical instruction and poetic wisdom in particular, all of which are intended to guide human conduct along the right track for (...) the bliss of the postmortem cycle, and put philosophy learning into first priority for the choice of the future life. Moreover, the transmigrate experience in the mystic overtone of “the Orphic-Pythagorean conglomerate” is discussed with a intercultural reference to the Buddhist doctrines of samsara and karma. (shrink)

A comparison of Plato's "Phaedo" and the "Mahāparanibbāna Sutta" of the Pāli Canon juxtaposes the character and teachings of Socrates and the Buddha as revealed by both texts, set just before their deaths. Discussed at length are similarities in technique (dialogue), personality (open-mindedness and compassion), and doctrine (especially regarding the purification of the soul over numerous lifetimes), as well as the subsequent development of Platonism and Buddhism after the deaths of the masters.