Abstract

This presentation addresses centuries of vibrant interactions and intermingling of the dominant philosophies along the corridors of the Silk Roads. It attempts to trace the ideas and allegories of Zhuangzi, Nagarjuna, the Chandogya Upanishad, and Heraclitus, ideas which met, swirled and mixed in the important trade centres along the Silk Roads. The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, coming out of the cosmopolitan city of Nishapur, is one such example of a powerful syncretic integration of Daoism, Buddhism, Vedanta, as well as Hellenic and Khurasani elements, with such philosophies existing and feeding into each other along this iconic geographical and temporal corridor.

About the Speaker Dr. Vaziri is a lecturer at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. He teaches intercultural philosophy. His research focuses on Indian and Central Asian philosophies, including Vedanta, Sufi, Zen, and Buddhist thought, and the exploration of Silk Roads intellectual heritage as presented in his most recent book, The Confluence of Wisdom Along the Silk Road (2022).