The focus of the this talk will be the thinkers associated with early German or “Jena” Romanticism and their interest in India, with references also to the work of Arthur Schopenhauer, Friedrich Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger and the relationship of their thought with Buddhist philosophy.

The early German Romantics were instrumental in articulating “Romanticism” as a constellation of philosophical ideas and an orientation towards life which ran counter to the prevailing rationalism and materialism of late eighteenth century Western thought. They discerned affinities between their own concerns and those of ancient Indian philosophies and initiated serious study of Sanskrit and Indian philosophy in Germany. They set new directions in European philosophy and helped foster an intellectual environment receptive to Buddhism in the modern West. Although not exactly Romantics, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and Heidegger are all indebted to this intellectual lineage. The talk will consider these influences and touch on the ways Buddhism resonates with aspects of their thinking, and how, to varying degrees, Buddhism influenced it.

This talk will be given by Peter Oldmeadow.  Prior to his retirement Peter was head of the Classical Indian and Buddhist Studies programs at the University of Sydney. He taught Sanskrit language and Indian and Buddhist philosophy and also lectured extensively in the areas of religious studies and the history of ideas. Peter has a long-standing interest in Buddhist theory and practice and an interest in comparative philosophy and religion particularly as they relate to the fundamental questions that face modern humanity.