Arthur Schopenhauer is considered one of the first Western philosophers to explicitly incorporate elements of Indian thought into his work. Although he did not have direct access to many of the source texts, his ideas about the world as will and representation show remarkable parallels with concepts from the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. This Master's thesis presents the Indian philosophical basis on which the German philosopher built his philosophical system, with the moral-ethical and aesthetic aspects at the forefront. The analysis covers the key concepts of Schopenhauer's philosophy, such as will, representation, desire and the negation of will, and aesthetic contemplation, and compares them with Hindu and Buddhist concepts such as maya, sansara, nirvana, upadana and rasa. Given the spirit of the 19th century in which Schopenhauer lived, the possibilities of the influence of Indian philosophies on Western philosophical thought are highlighted.
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