This course examines some of the central questions of Buddhist philosophy and presents them not as curiosities but as resources to think through some of the central ideas that have challenged philosophers in the "Western" as well as the Buddhist traditions. We focus on Buddhist views concerning the nature of persons and the ethical implications of these views. We first examine the Indian religious and philosophical contexts, and the basic Buddhist ideas, in particular the doctrine of No-self and its ethical implications. We then move to more radical views, particularly those of the Madhyamaka Buddhist tradition, which presents a thorough critique of philosophical thinking. We consider carefully this tradition, which offers not only one of the earliest examples of radical deconstructive critique of metaphysics, but also a thorough examination of some of the ethical implications of deconstructive thinking. We then move to some of the Buddhist answers to Madhyamaka, particularly those of the Yogacara tradition, which offers a process view of reality, which claims to accommodate the anti-essentialism of the Madhyamaka to a more soteriologically oriented approach. We conclude by examining some of the philosophical implications of other aspects of Buddhist tradition, particularly those of the tantric tradition. This gives us the occasion to revisit the question of the nature of subjectivity, one of the central questions raised by the Buddhist views of person. Format: lecture/discussion. Requirements: full attendance and participation, three short essays (4-6 pages). No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 30 (expected: 20).