Dr. Dilipkumar Mohanta

 
Grant Category: Fulbright-Nehru Visiting Lecturer
Field of Specialization: Indian Philosophy and Comparative Religion
Name: Dr. Dilipkumar Mohanta
Official Address and Designation: Professor of Philosophy
University of Calcutta
1 Reformatory Street
Kolkata 700 027
West Bengal
Telephone (O): 91-33- 24843446
E-mail: dkmphil@gmail.com
Duration of Grant: Four months
Lecture Topics:

I will teach a Course at graduate level on Madhyamaka Buddhism.

  • Basic tenets of Buddhism and Middle Path
  • Precepts and Four Spiritual Values
  • Phases of Buddhism and sects
  • Is Buddhism a radical departure from Hinduism?
  • Fundamentals of Madhyamaka Buddhism and Nagarjuna – Dialectics, four-cornered negation and multi-dimensional aspects of Emptiness (sunyata)
  • Tathata, Dharmakaya, Nirmanakaya, Sambhogakaya
  • Samsara and Nirvana
  • Arhat, Dharma Dhatu and Budhisattva
  • Skeptical arguments
  • Basis of world culture
In addition, I will give seminars on the following topics:

  • Logic of Religious Pluralism and Conflicting truth-claims of different religions
  • Religious pluralism and India
  • Religious Pluralism and US
  • Models of Religious Pluralism
  • Kabir's teaching and inter-religious understanding
  • Hindu-Muslim understanding and India
  • Possibility of different types of religion
  • Religious pluralism and Ramakrishna- Vivekananda movement
  • Importance of both intra-religious and inter-religious understanding for today
  • Hinduism and environmental concern
  • Buddhism and environmental concern
  • Jainism and environmental concern
  • M. K. Gandhi's non-violence and environmental concern
  • Rabindranath Tagore and environmental concern

Academic Background :
Ph. D. Philosophy Visva-Bharati University, Shantiniketan 1989
M.A. Philosophy Visva-Bharati University, Shantiniketan 1983
Professional Background :
Professor of Philosophy University of Calcutta, Kolkata 2003 - till date
Reader in Philosophy University of Calcutta, Kolkata 2001 – 2003
Reader in Philosophy Assam University, Silchar 1995 – 2001
Lecturer in Philosophy Alipurduar College, Jalpaiguri 1985 – 1995
Dr. Dilipkumar Mohanta