VELJAČIĆ, Čedomil (Ñāṇajīvaka). Zagreb 18.6.1915 — San Francisco, Calif. 28.12.1997. Croatian Classical Scholar, Philosopher, and Bauddha. Born in a Croatian Catholic family, son of a court secretary. Studied philosophy at Zagreb (B.A. 1939) and became teacher, soon director of gymnasium in Vis island. From 1944 member of the new Yugoslavian representation in Italy and Germany. In Bonn he also studied Sanskrit. From 1961 Lecturer, then Assistant Professor of Asian Philosophy at Zagreb (Ph.D. there 1962). Fom 1963 visiting Lecturer in India, then moved to Sri Lanka, where he remained more than 20 years. In 1966 ordained as samaṇera, 1968 as bhikkhu. Died after long illness in Talmage, Calif., where he lived with his daughter.
Publications: Filosofija istočnih naroda. 1. Indijska filozofija. 2. Iran, Islam, Kina, Japan. 331+341 p. Zagreb 1958.
– Diss. Komparativno prončavanje indijske i helenske filozofije. Zagreb 1962 (Comparative study of Indian and Greek philosophy).
– “Komparativnofilosofski motivi u ‘Čilimina’ Klementa Alexandrijskog”, Živa antika 10, 1960, 126-152 (Stromateis); “Helenski i rimski izvori znanja o Indiji”, Živa antika 11, 1961, 73-95 (Greek and Roman sources of information on India); “Indian Analogies in the Philosophy of Plotinus”, Indian Philosophical Annual 4, 1968.
– “Dependence of Punarbhava on Karma in Buddhist Philosophy”, Indian Philosophical Annual 1, 1965; “My Approach to Indian Philosophy”, Ibid. 2, 1966; “Why is Buddhism a Religion?”, Ibid. 6, 1970.
– “Jhanam, abstraktna umjetnost buddhističke kontemplacije”, Praxis 1/2, 1967 & 5-6, 1969 (The abstract art of Buddhist contemplation); “Fenomenologija mističnog doživljaja s buddhističkog stanovišta”, Praxis 1-2, 1970 (Phenomenology of mystic experience from Buddhist point of view); “Pitanja o moralnoj odgovornosti u razgovorima Gotame Buddhe”, Encyclopedia moderna 20, 1972 (Questions of moral responsibility in the words of G.B.); “Buddhini govori o religiji”, ibid. 24, 1973 (Buddha’s words on religion); “Problem ništavila u buddhističkoj filozofiji”, Praxis 3-5, 1974 (Problem of emptiness in B. philosophy).
– “Aniccam – The Buddhist Theory of Impermanence”, Main Currents in the Modern Thought 5, 1971; “Karma – The Ripening fruit”, Ibid. 1, 1972.
– Schopenhauer and Buddhism. 93 p. Kandy 1970; Budizam. 277 p. Belgrade 1977.
– Croatian translation of the Meghadūta: Kâlidâsa, Oblak glasonoša. 79 p. Zagreb 1971.
– Translated: Pjesme prosjaka i prosjakinja. 316 p. Sarajevo 1977 (early Buddhist poetry).
– With Rada Iveković: Indijska i iranska etika. 573 p. Sarajevo 1980.
– Od Nepala do Cejlona. 166 p. Subotica 1981.
– Ethos spoznaje u evropskoj i indijskoj filosofiji. 120 p. Belgrade 1982.
– Studies in Comparative Philosophy. 1. Schopenhauer, Nietzche, Existentialism and Buddhism. 214 p. Colombo 1983; Dhamma-padam, Put ispravnosti. 13+96 p. Zagreb 1990.
Sources: Matišić 1976, 298; Buddhist Studies Review 15, 1998, 76-78; *Sudesika, Fs. hikkhu Ñanajivako. 1997; *Croatian Wikipedia and other Croatian sources in Internet – I am helpless with them!
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