India is a country known for its rich culture, civilization, and philosophy. India, being a vast country with a plethora of thinkers, has contributed a great deal to the world in terms of philosophy. Indian philosophy has many sects like Hindu philosophy, Buddhist philosophy, and Jain philosophy, all of which are very famous all over the world.
Indian philosophy has both orthodox schools and heterodox schools which discuss philosophy in a profound manner. While orthodox schools follow the scriptures of Vedas and Upanishads, heterodox schools do not follow this pattern and deny the existence of a creator. In other words, orthodox schools are theist schools of philosophy while heterodox schools are atheist schools of philosophy. Hindu philosophy is the basis for orthodox schools whereas Buddhist and Jain philosophies are the bases for heterodox schools.
Hindu philosophy is the most important sect of Indian philosophy. Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world and its philosophy is considered one of the most sophisticated ones in the world today. Hindu philosophy is the orthodox one and it deals with the teachings of Vedas and Upanishads. It deals largely with the understanding of the universe and does not actually have a set of abstract principles to follow. In fact, the entire religion is considered a way of living or a path to find out the ultimate truth. It has lots of sub sects and schools of thoughts which help you find the ultimate truth.
It is one of the few philosophies which provide you with different points of views, sometimes each contradictory to other, to help you choose the right path you want to follow. A lot of people are attracted to Hindu philosophy due to its sheer sophistication and clarity Ð the qualities which some of the philosophical positions lack. There are a lot of scriptures which one can read to understand the concept of Hindu philosophy. Because of the sheer volume of thoughts and ideas within the philosophy, a lot of people prefer to choose any one of the schools to help them in the pursuit of the ultimate truth.
Buddhist philosophy is a sub sect of Indian philosophy and is very famous all over the world. Based on the teachings of Buddha, Buddhist philosophy deals with a lot of things like metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. Buddhism denies the existence of a creator and believes in truth as something which is present all over the universe. Jain philosophy is something which is similar to Buddhist philosophy, as it is a heterodox school of thought like Buddhism. Based on the teachings of Lord Mahavira, Jain philosophy mainly deals with actions and their immediate consequences in one's life, based on which one can lead a life which can ultimately bring him closer to the ultimate truth.
Indian philosophy is vast and a lot of people prefer to stick to one particular school of thought. It is also one of the oldest philosophies in the world, having millions and millions of followers all over the world.
