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Buddhist Epistemology PDF

151 Pages·2000·4.975 MB·English
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BUDDHIST EPISTEMOLOGY S. R. Bhatt and Anu Mehrotra Foreword by the Dalai Lama Recent Titles in Contributions in Philosophy The Last Choice: Preemptive Suicide in Advanced Age, Second Edition C. G. Prado Self-Construction and the Formation of Human Values: Truth, Language, and Desire Teodros Kiros Diogenes of Sinope: The Man in the Tub Luis E. Navia Simone de Beauvoir Writing the Self: Philosophy Becomes Autobiography Jo-Ann Pilardi Stalking Nietzsche Raymond Angelo Belliotti The Transient and the Absolute: An Interpretation of the Human Condition and of Human Endeavor Mordecai Roshwald The Adventure of Philosophy Luis E. Navia Intentionalist Interpretation: A Philosophical Explanation and Defense William Irwin Natural Law Ethics Philip E. Devine Anglo-American Idealism, 1865-1927 W. J. Mander, editor Two Views of Virtue: Absolute Relativism and Relative Absolutism F F. Centore Liberty: Its Meaning and Scope Mordecai Roshwald BUDDHIST EPISTEMOLOGY S. R. Bhatt and Anu Mehrotra Foreword by the Dalai Lama Contributions in Philosophy, Number 75 Frank J. Hoffman, Series Adviser Westport, Connecticut • London Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bhatt, S. R. (Siddheswar Rameshwar), 1939— Buddhist epistemology / S.R.BhattandAnuMehrotra ; foreword by the Dalai Lama. p. cm.—(Contributions in philosophy, ISSN 0084-926X ; no. 75) Includes the text of Digniga's Nyiyamukha. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-313-31087-4 (alk. paper) I. Knowledge, Theory of (Buddhism) 2. Digniga, 5th cent. Nyiyamukha. 3. Buddhist logic. I. DignSga, 5th cent. NySyamukha. II. Title. III. Series. BQ4440.B53 2000 99-044513 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright © 2000 by S. R. Bhatt and Anu Mehrotra All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 99-044513 ISBN: 0-313-31087-4 ISSN: 0084-926X First published in 2000 Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.greenwood.com Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Foreword by the Dalai Lama vii Preface ix Introduction 1 1. The Buddhist Theory of Knowledge 11 2. The Buddhist Theory of Perception 25 3. The Buddhist Theory of Inference 49 Appendix 1: Nyayapravesakasutram 101 Appendix 2: Nyayapravesakasutram (Translation) 105 Notes 111 Glossary 125 Bibliography 129 Index 135 Foreword The Dalai Lama When Buddha Sakyamuni attained enlightenment beneath the Bodhi tree more than two and a half thousand years ago, his achievement was not only the result of having reached the peak of meditative stabilisation, of having brought great compassion to fruition, but also of clear analytic thought. The lucid simplicity of his subsequent teachings are ample evidence of this. And indeed he encouraged his followers to regard even his own advice in the same rigorously critical light. Thus, the study of logic and the nature of knowledge have been crucial to Buddhist tradition from the outset. These disciplines continued to develop and flourish in India after the Buddha’s passing away, reaching their acme in the works of Vasubandhu, Dinnaga and Dharmaklrti, which were to become seminal to studies in the great monastic universities, such as Nalanda and Vikramasila. And it was this tradition of acute logic and analysis that was transmitted and preserved in Tibet for more than a thousand years, where it was employed not merely to challenge the views of others but to ensure the clarity and authenticity of one’s own view. Therefore, I am delighted that two distinguished contemporary Indian scholars, Dr. S.R. Bhatt and Dr. A. Mehrotra, have written the present book on Buddhist Epistemology, including an English translation of the “Nyaya Pravesa.” This valuable work sheds light on abstruse topics and will allow readers to gain a clearer appreciation of the depths of Buddhist knowledge. Preface The present work is an analytical exposition of the theory of knowledge as propounded in the Dirinaga-Dharmaklrti tradition. It expounds the Buddhist theory of knowledge in its totality. Buddhist thinkers unanimously uphold the view that there are two kinds of objects of knowledge, namely, the unique particular (svalaksana) and the generalized image (samanyalaksana). Unique particular is discrete and instantaneous being. It is unique particular in the sense that it is neither identical nor similar to other unique particulars. It is the only objective real (paramartha sat). As distinct from unique particular there are objects that are constructs of our intellect and that are in the form of generalized images. They are subjective in origin but inter subjective in nature. On the basis of the preceding analysis Buddhist thinkers emphatically maintain that since there are only two kinds of objects of knowldege, there are only two kinds of knowledge (pramdtia) namely, perception (pratyaksa) and inference (anumdna). The unique particular is amenable to perception only, whereas generalized image is known through inference only. By implication, unique particular can never be known through inference and generalized image can never be known through perception. Thus, each of the two types of knowledge has its own separate and distinct sphere of operation. In the following pages is a discussion of Buddhist theory of knowledge, comparing it with other schools wherever necessary. To make the logical issues more intelligible to readers, a basic text, “Nyaya Pravesa” is given as an appendix of the work. The text of “Nyaya Praves'a” is generally ascribed to Dirinaga, a pioneer thinker in Buddhist theory of Knowledge. Dirinaga provided a solid footing to Buddhist epistemology and logic and gave it a distinctive character. He has been regarded as the father of Buddhist epistemology X Preface and logic in particular and of the entire medieval Indian epistemology and logic in general. There are several works composed by him in this area, among which “Pramana Samuccaya” and “Nyaya Praves'a” are most important. “Pramana Samuccaya” is not available in its complete form, even though some of its chapters have been restored from Tibetan and other sources. However “Nyaya Pravesa” is available to us in its full form. An attempt has been made here to translate it in English for the benefit of English language readers. The text is presented here in Roman script with a view to have wider readership. Explanatory notes have also been provided to clarify some knotty points. “Nyaya Praves'a” is a classical work pertaining to the modes of knowing and reasoning in the Buddhist tradition. For centuries it has been studied as a manual of the Buddhist theory of knowledge in India, Tibet, China, and other countries. It provides a foundation to the famous Buddhist art of debate (yada-vidhi). There are several Tibetan and Chinese commentaries and sub-commentaries on “Nyaya Praves'a” apart from the ones in Sanskrit. This accounts for its significance and popularity among classical scholars. In a cryptic, but succinct, manner “Nyaya Praves'a” presents Dirinaga’s views on the nature of perception and inference and their fallacies. It also elaborately discusses the modes of argumentation and refutation along with their fallacies. We are grateful to Greenwood Publishing Group and its staff and to Dr. Hoffman who introduced this work to Greenwood. Our thanks are also due to Indian Council of Philosophical Research for providing financial assistance for the preparation of the work.

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