This course provides an introduction to the main traditions of Eastern thought, which differ radically from the Western worldview and Western philosophy in many of their key claims. The focus will be on Buddhism and Hinduism, which both hold that we see ourselves and the world through a veil of ignorance and that the nature of reality is different from what it appears to be. They hold, in particular, that the individual sense of self is an illusion, and they promise that a full and permanent liberation from psychological suffering and unease is possible. The main version of Hinduism holds the striking further claim that pure consciousness is all there is, and both traditions prescribe ethical conduct and meditation practices as prerequites for the liberation from suffering (or enlightenment). This course will also provide short introductions to Confucianism and Taoism, and it will consider some of the parallels between Eastern thought and modern physics. The themes will be developed mainly in a conceptual rather than historical manner, and some of the lectures will feature short meditations and guided contemplations of conscious experience.