This book is the study of the encounter between Western scholasticism and one classical Indian tradition of religious thought and practice: the Ved¿nta. It challenges existing parallels with modern philosophy of religion and forms of theism. It argues instead that there is an affinity between scholastic theology and classical Indian traditions. It considers the thought of R¿m¿nuja (traditional dates 1017-1137 C.E), who developed an influential form theist and realist form of Ved¿nta, and considers how this relates to that of the most influential of Western scholastics, Thomas Aquinas (1225-1224/5-74 C.E.).

Martin Ganeri is Vice Regent of Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford, UK. His recent publications include 'Selfhood, Agency and Freewill in R¿m¿nuja' in E. F. Bryant (ed.), Free Will, Agency, and Selfhood in Indian Philosophy (2014), and 'Natural Law and Hinduism' in the Journal of Comparative Law (2014).

Introduction. 1. Ved¿nta and Thomism 2. Methodology 3. The Ultimate Reality 4. The World 5. R¿m¿nuja and Modern Western Theism. Conclusion