Dharmakirti S Hetubindu

This volume provides the first modern translation of the recently found original Sanskrit text of Dharmakirti's Hetubindu (ca. 600 CE), the first Indian work of pure logic. The concise definitions and explanations of the central terms are enriched by several extensive digressions, such as on the pervasion (vyapti) in the proof of momentariness of entities, with his conceptions of causality, and on the nature of non-perception or negative cognition (anupalabdhi), as well as by the supplement of a refutation of Isvarasena's theorem of six characteristics for a logical reason (?allak?a?ahetu). The translation aims at making the content available to specialists in Indian epistemology and also to philosophers and logicians in general who have no knowledge of classical Sanskrit. It is provided with a short introduction and a detailed structural outline.

Nyaya and Buddhism as the two-important traditions of Indian Philosophical Thought distinguished themselves through a detailed inquiry into various aspects of Anumana. In both the traditions there flourished a long chain of logicians of great reputation and profound scholarship. Particularly in the Buddhist tradition Dharmakirti distinguished himself, through his scholarly works, as a renowned logician and exerted influence alike both on his adversaries and followers. Although he has discussed a number of issues concerning Anumana in his different works, no systematic attempt has been made to formulate and present Dharmakirti`s unified theory of Anumana in its various aspects. The present work undertakes to do this for the first time in the world of Buddhist scholarship. Giving a sketch of the conceptual framework of Dharmakirti`s philosophy by way of background, it discusses epistemic, constitutive and regulative conditions of Anumana according to him, and dealing with the validity and, or soundness aspects of Anumana along with Hetvabhasas it may give rise to, brings out their important implications not only for Dharmakirti`s philosophy but also for Buddhist philosophy in general.

Throughout the history of Buddhism, few philosophers have attained the stature of Dharmakirti, the "Lord of Reason" who has influenced virtually every systematic Buddhist thinker since his time. Dharmakirti's renowned works, written in India during the philosophically rich seventh century, argue that the true test of knowledge is its efficacy, and likewise that only the efficacious is knowable and real. Around this central theme is woven an intricate web of interrelated theories concerning perception, reason, language, and the justification of knowledge. Masterfully unpacking these foundations of Dharmakirti's system, John Dunne presents the first major study of the most vexing issues in Dharmakirti's thought within its Indian philosophical context. Lucid and carefully argued, Dunne's work serves both as an introduction to Dharmakirti for students of Buddhism and a groundbreaking resource for scholars of Buddhist thought.

It is a pioneer attempt of its kind to study Indian Buddhism in its entirety as a system of rational philosophy, profound faith, and as a historical matrix of creative human culture and civilized institution during the 7th and 8th centuries the brilliant epoch of the University of Nalanda, the mere name of which spells the great wonder that was Buddhism in Ancient India.A chapter on the contribution of Buddhism to Indian Civilization has also been added. The treatment of the subject is critical and integral though not traditional.

Sanskrit work, with English translation on Buddhist epistemology and logic.

This fourth and final Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics volume provides, through extensive passages, a window into the works of the great thinkers from the flowering of philosophy in classical India. This is the second philosophy volume in the Science and Philosophy series. Whereas the first philosophy volume presented the views of the non-Buddhist and Buddhist schools in sequence, the present work selects specific topics for consideration, including the nature of the two truths, the analysis of self, the Yogacara explanation of reality, emptiness in the Madhyamaka tradition, a survey of logic and epistemology, and the Buddhist explanation of language and meaning. Like earlier volumes, it provides, through extensive extracts, a window into the works of the masters of the Nalanda tradition. The final section on language is particularly unique and largely crafted by Thupten Jinpa.