#85 Does Buddhism Teach Annihilation? And Other Questions - Emily McRae

Emily McRae, professor of philosophy at the University of New Mexico, offers an overview of Buddhist philosophy. In particular, we discuss the different traditions within Buddhism - Theravada, Mahayana, Tibetan, and Zen - the doctrine of emptiness, the Four Noble Truths, and the ontology of Nirvana: annihilation, eternal bliss, or a state of mind in the here and now?

Video of this interview is available on YouTube.

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EPISODE CHAPTERS:

00:00:00 Introduction

00:02:55 Moral ignorance in Buddhist philosophy

00:06:47 What drew Emily to Buddhist philosophy?

00:10:36 Analytic philosophy vs. Buddhist philosophy

00:13:41 What kind of ethical theory is Buddhism?

00:21:26 Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy?

00:24:37 The major schools of Buddhism

00:29:56 Emptiness and the Buddhist theory of the self

00:37:47 Why the Buddha refused to answer some questions

00:43:02 The Four Noble Truths

00:46:01 The first Noble Truth: suffering

00:51:04 The second Noble Truth: the causes of suffering

00:53:43 The third Noble Truth: the end of suffering

00:56:10 What is nirvana?

01:00:14 Does Buddhism ultimately teach annihilation?

01:07:15 Buddhism vs. Christianity on desire

01:12:18 The fourth Noble Truth: the Eightfold Path

01:16:16 What reason is there to believe Buddhism is true?