Timeline of Eastern philosophers

This is a wide-ranging chronological list of philosophers from the Eastern traditions of philosophy, with special interest in Indo-Chinese philosophy. The list stops at the year 1950, after which philosophers fall into the category of contemporary philosophy.

Chinese philosophers

Ancient Chinese philosophers

Before 256 BCE (until the end of the Zhou dynasty)

• Guan Zhong (died in 645 BCE)
• Confucius (traditionally 551–479 BCE) — founder of Confucianism
• Sun Tzu (– BCE) — military philosopher
• Laozi (probably 6th century BCE) — founder of Taoism

475–221 BCE (Warring States period)

• Mozi (– BCE) — political and religious philosopher
• Liezi (– BCE)
• Gaozi ( BCE)
• Mencius (most accepted dates: 372–289 BCE; other possible dates: 385–303 BCE or 302 BCE) — political philosopher, social contract
• Xu Xing ( BCE)
• Gongsun Longzi (fl. 300 BCE) — School of Names
• Hui Shi (4th century BCE)—School of Names
• Shang Yang (died 338 BCE) — Legalist bureaucrat
• Shen Buhai (died 337 BCE) — Legalist bureaucrat
• Shen Dao (–275 BCE)
• Song Xing (360–290 BCE)
• Yang Zhu (370–319 BCE)— Usually classified as a Hedonist
• Zhuang Zhou (Zhuangzi, BCE) — major Taoist philosopher
• Xunzi (–237 BCE) — Confucianist, pessimistic about human nature
• Zou Yan (305?–240? BCE)— School of Naturalists, Yin-Yang, Five Elements
• Han Feizi (died 233 BCE) — totalistic legalism
• Lü Buwei (290–235 BCE)

221 BCE–220 CE (Qin, Han and Xin dynasties)

• Jia Yi (201–169 BCE)
• Dong Zhongshu (– BCE)
• Liu An (179–122 BCE)
• Wang Chong (27–97 CE)
• Yang Xiong (53 BCE–18 CE)
• Zheng Xuan (127–200 CE)
• He Yan (190–249 CE)

220 CE–907 CE (Three Kingdoms period to Tang dynasty)

• Ruan Ji (210–263)
• Ji Kang (223–262)
• Wang Bi (226–249) — commentator on the Tao Te Ching and the I Ching
• Pei Wei (267–300)
• Guo Xiang (died 312)
• Zhi Dun (314–366)
• Lushan Huiyuan (334–416)
• Sengzhao (384–414)
• Ge Hong (4th century)
• Tan-luan (476–542)
• Dazu Huike (487–593)
• Nanyue Huisi (515-577)
• Zhiyi (538–597)
• Jizang (549–623)
• Dushun (557–640)
• Dayi Daoxin (580–651)
• Hong Ren (601–674)
• Xuanzang (602–664)
• Yuquan Shenxiu (606–706)
• Shandao (613–681)
• Cheng Xuanying (631–655)
• Huineng (638–713)
• Fazang (643–712)
• Shenhui (684–758)
• Shitou Xiqian (700–790)
• Mazu Daoyi (709–788)
• Baizhang Huaihai (720–814)
• Li Ao (722–841)
• Qingliang Chengguan (738–839)
• Han Yu (768–824)
• Zhaozhou Congshen (778–897)
• Zongmi (780–841)
• Huangbo Xiyun (?–850)
• Linji Yixuan (died 866)
• Yunmen Wenyan (864 – 949)

907–1368 (Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period to Yuan dynasty)

• Xuedou Chongxian (980–1052)
• Fan Zhongyan (989–1052)
• Hu Yuan (993–1059) — revived Confucianism
• Shao Yung (1011–1077)
• Zhou Dunyi (1017–1073)
• Chang Tsai (1020–1077)
• Cheng Hao (1032–1085) — established the Confucian "School of Mind"
• Cheng Yi (1033–1107)
• Yuanwu Keqin (1063–1135)
• Dahui Zonggao (1089–1163)
• Hu Hong (1105-1161)
• Zhu Xi (1130–1200) — thinker of the Confucianist "School of Principle"
• Lu Jiuyuan (1139–1193)
• Wumen Huikai (1183–1260)

1368–1912 (Ming and Qing dynasties)

• Chen Xianzhang (1428–1500)
• Wang Yangming (1472–1529)
• Wang Gen (1483-1541)
• (1517-1579)
• Li Zhi (1527–1602)
• Jiao Hong (1540–1620)
• Liu Zongzhou (1578–1645)
• Huang Zongxi (1610–1695)
• Wang Fuzhi (1619–1692)
• Yen Yuan (1635–1704)
• Li Gong (1659–1733)
• Dai Zhen (1724–1777)
• Zhang Xuecheng (1738–1801)
• Yu Zhengxie (1775–1840) — prominent scholar and male feminist, philosopher, philologist, astrologer
• Kang Youwei (1858–1927)
• Tan Sitong (1864–1898)
• Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925)
• Liang Qichao (1873–1929)
• He Zhen (1884–1920)

Modern Chinese philosophers

1912–1950

• Ch'ien Mu (1895–1990)
• Thomé H. Fang (1899–1976)
• Feng Youlan (1895–1990)
• Xiong Shili (1885–1968)
• Xu Fuguan (1903–1982)
• Hu Shih (1891–1962)
• Liang Shuming (1893–1988)
• Zhang Dongsun (1886–1973)
• Liu Shaoqi (1898–1969)
• Mao Zedong (1893–1976)
• Mou Tsung-san (1909–1995)
• T'ang Chun-i (1909–1978)
• Hao Wang (1921–1995)

Indian philosophers

Ancient Indian philosophers

Early Vedic age 1500-800 BCE (Saptarishi)

• Vasishtha
• Atri
• Vishvamitra
• Agastya
• Gautama Maharishi
• Jamadagni
• Bharadwaja
• Dirghatamas, famous for his monistic views
• Lopamudra, the earliest female philosopher

Late Vedic age 800–400 BCE (Sectarianism)

• Parshvanatha (between 872 and 772 BCE) is the earliest Jain tirthankara who is generally acknowledged as a historical figure.
• Aruni (between 750 and 650 BCE) credited with laying the foundation of Indian atomism
• Yajnavalkya (between 700 and 600 BCE) credited for coining Advaita (non-dual, monism), an important tradition within Hinduism
• Makkhali Gosala (between 600 and 500 BCE) – founder ĀjÄ«vika philosophy
• Pāṇini (between 600 and 500 BCE) – made contributions to Philosophy of language and Sanskrit grammar
• Siddhartha Gautama (–483 BCE) – founder of Buddhism
• Mahākāśyapa – Most Venerable Mahā Kāshyapa Maha Thero
• Bṛhaspati – Founder of Cārvāka philosophy
• Mahavira (599–527 BCE) – heavily influenced Jainism, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism
• Badarayana (lived between 500 BCE and 400 BCE) – Author of Brahma Sutras
• Kapila ( BCE) founder of Sankhya philosophy

321–184 BCE (Maurya Empire)

• Shvetashvatara – Author of earliest textual exposition of a systematic philosophy of Shaivism
• Chanakya (–275 BCE) – A pioneer in the field of economics and political science
• Jaimini (–200 BCE) – Author of Purva Mimamsa Sutras
• Aksapada Gautama ( BCE) – founder of Nyaya philosophy
• Kanada – founder of Vaisheshika
• Pingala – Renowned for his work on Combinatorics and Sanskrit prosody

184 BCE–100 CE (Early Middle Kingdoms Begin—The Golden Age)

• Patanjali – Author of Yoga Sutra and a commentary on Panini
• Thiruvalluvar ( BCE–2nd century CE), best known for authoring the Tirukkuṛaḷ, a collection of couplets on ethics

100–300 (Cholas, Cheras, Pandavas and Kushan Empire)

• Nagarjuna (–250) – founder of Madhyamaka Buddhism
• Kundakunda (), exponent of Jain mysticism and Jain nayas
• Umāsvāti or Umasvami (), author of first Jain work in Sanskrit TattvārthasÅ«tra

300–550 (Gupta Empire)

• Vasubandhu () – one of the main founders of the Yogacara school
• Asanga () – one of the main founders of the Yogacara school
• Bodhidharma () – founder of Zen Buddhism
• Vatsyayana () – author of commentary on Nyāya SÅ«tras and Kama Sutra
• Bhartrhari (450–510) – contributed to linguistic theory
• Buddhaghosa ()
• Siddhasena Divākara () – Jain logician and author of important works in Sanskrit and Prakrit
• Dignāga () – one of the Buddhist founders of Indian logic
• Bhāviveka () – founder of the Svātantrika tradition of Mādhyamaka
• Śīlabhadra () He is best known as being an abbot of Nālandā monastery in India, as being an expert on Yogācāra teachings, and for being the personal tutor of the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang.
• Udyotakara Udyotakara() – Nyaya Philosopher

600–900 (Late Middle Kingdoms—The Classical Age)

• Candrakirti (born ) – Madhyamaka Buddhist
• Kumārila Bhaá¹­á¹­a () – Mimansa Philosopher
• Udyanacharya () – Nyaya Philosopher
• Prabhākara () – Grammarian and Mimansa Philosopher
• Dharmakirti ()
• Gaudapadacharya () – Advaita Philosopher
• Śāntideva () – Mahāyāna Buddhist
• Adi Shankara () – Advaita Vedanta school
• Anandavardhana () – Philosopher of Aesthetics
• Vasugupta (860–925) – Author of Shiva Sutras
• Vācaspati Miśra () – Nyaya Philosopher
• Jayanta Bhatta () – Nyaya Philosopher

900–1100 (The Islamic Sultanates)

• Abhinavagupta (–1025)
• Atiśa (–1054) He was one of the major figures in the spread of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism in Asia and inspired Buddhist thought from Tibet to Sumatra
• Udayana () he was a very important Hindu logician who attempted to reconcile the views held by the two major schools of logic (Nyaya and Vaisheshika).
• Ramanuja (–1137) – founder of Vishishtadvaita or Qualified Non-dualism

1100–1500 (Vijaynagara Empire and Delhi Sultanate)

• Gorakshanath (11th- to 12th-centuries)
• Basaveshwara (1134–1196) – founder of Lingayatism
• Shri Madhvacharya (1238–1317)
• Gangeśa Upādhyāya ()
• Nimbarka ()
• Mādhava Vidyāranya ()
• Kabir (1440–1518)
• Vyasatirtha (–1539)
• Raghunatha Siromani (–1547) — founder of Navya Nyāya philosophy
• Vallabhacharya (–1531)
• Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (–1534)
• Ravidas (1450–1520)

1500–1800 (Mughal Empire, Rajput Kingdoms and Marahtha Confederacy Era)

• Mirabai (1498–1557) Bhakti saint & devotee of Krishna
• Nanak (–1539) – Bhakti Philosopher, Founder of Sikhism
• Bhai Gurdas, foundation Sikh philosophy, Indian six school interpretation
• MadhusÅ«dana SarasvatÄ« (–1640)
• Vijñānabhiká¹£u (–1600) – synthesized Vedānta, Sāṃkhya, and Yoga into avibhagādvaita ("indistinguishable non-dualism")
• Gadadhara Bhattacharya (17th century) – Nyaya philosopher

Modern Indian philosophers

1800–1947 (Colonial and Postcolonial Era)

• Debendranath Tagore (1817–1905)
• Dayananda Saraswati (1824–1883) founder of arya samaj
• Sai Baba (1835–1918)
• Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836–1886)
• Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902)
• Krishna Chandra Bhattacharya (1875–1949) Phenomenology
• Narayana Guru (1856–1928)
• Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941)
• Brajendra Nath Seal (1864–1938)
• Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948)
• Sri Aurobindo (1872–1950)
• Muhammad Iqbal (1877–1938)
• Ramana Maharshi (1879–1950)
• Nigamananda (1880–1935)
• Gopinath Kaviraj (1887–1976)
• Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888–1975)
• Nolini Kanta Gupta (1889–1983)
• Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891–1956)
• Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986)
• A. C. Bhaktivedanta (1896–1977) — founder/acharya of ISKCON (Hare Krishna movement)
• Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897–1981)
• Haridas Chaudhuri (1913–1975)
• Deendayal Upadhyaya (1916–1968)
• U. G. Krishnamurti (1918–2007)
• Ram Swarup (1920–1998)
• Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar (1921–1990)
• Sita Ram Goel (1921–2003)
• Swami Krishnananda (1922–2001)
• Jitendra Nath Mohanty(1928-)
• Osho (1931–1990)
• Amartya Sen (born 1933)
• Bimal Krishna Matilal (1935–1991)
• Pandurang Shastri Athavale (1920–2003)

Japanese philosophers

Ancient Japanese philosophers

Until 1185 CE (until the end of the Heian period)

• KÅ«kai (774–835)
• Hōnen (1133–1212)

1185–1333 (Kamakura period)

• Shinran (1173–1261)
• Dōgen Zenji (1200–1253)
• Nichiren (1222–1282)

1333–1867 (Muromachi period to Edo period)

• Zeami Motokiyo (–)
• Fujiwara Seika (1561–1619)
• Miyamoto Musashi (1584–1645)
• Kumazawa Banzan (1619–1691)
• Itō Jinsai (1627–1705)
• Kaibara Ekken (1630–1714)
• OgyÅ« Sorai (1666–1728)
• Hakuin Ekaku (1686–1769)
• Tominaga Nakamoto (1715–1746)
• Motoori Norinaga (1730–1801)
• Nishi Amane (1829–1897)

Modern Japanese philosophers

1867–1950

• Nishida Kitaro (1870–1945)
• D. T. Suzuki (1870–1966)
• Tanabe Hajime (1885–1962)
• Kuki ShÅ«zō (1888–1941)
• Watsuji Tetsuro (1889–1960)
• Sakurazawa Yukikazu (George Ohsawa) (1893–1966)
• Miki Kiyoshi (1897–1945)
• Josei Toda (1900–1958)
• Nishitani Keiji (1900–1990)

Korean philosophers

Ancient Korean philosophers

Until 676 CE (until the end of the Three Kingdoms period)

• Seungrang ()

676–935 (Unified Silla period)

• Woncheuk (613–696)
• Wonhyo (617–686)
• Uisang (625–702)
• Doseon (827–898)
• Ch'oe Ch'i-wŏn (born 857)

935–1392 (Goryeo period)

• Uicheon (1055–1101)
• Jinul (1158–1210)

1392–1910 (Joseon period)

• Chŏng Tojŏn (1342–1398)
• Sŏ Kyŏngdŏk (1489–1546)
• Yi Ŏnjŏk (1491–1553)
• Cho Sik (1501–1572)
• Yi Hwang (1501–1570)
• Yi I (1536–1584)
• Jeong Je-du (1649–1736)
• Yi Gan (1677–1727)
• Namdang (1682–1750)
• Chŏng Yagyong (1762–1836)
• Kim ChŏnghÅ­i (1786–1856)
• Choi Han-gi (1803–1879)
• Choi Je-u (1824–1864)
• Yi Je-ma (1838–1900)

Modern Korean philosophers

1910–1950

• Ryu Yeong-mo (1890–1981)
• Ham Seok-heon (1901–1989)

Tibetan philosophers

• Sakya Pandita (1182–1251)
• Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339)
• Dolpopa (Dol-bo-ba, 1292–1361)
• Longchenpa (1308–1364)
• Je Tsongkhapa (1357–1419)
• Gorampa (1429–1489)
• Sakya Chokden 1428–1507)
• Gyeltsap Darma Rinchen (1364–1432)
• Mikyö Dorje (1507–1554)
• Wangchuk Dorje (1556–1603)
• Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892)
• Jamgön Kongtrül (1813-1899)
• Jamgön Ju Mipham (1846–1912)

See also

• List of years in philosophy

References

External links

• Chinese Philosophy by Richard Hooker