Dharmakirti
Dharmakirti (ca. 7th century), was an Indian scholar and one of the Buddhist founders of Indian philosophical logic. He was one of the primary theorists of Buddhist atomism, according to which the only items considered to exist are momentary Buddhist atoms and states of consciousness.
Philosophy
Dharmakirti presents most of his ideas in the guise of commentary on Dignaga's works, even if his theories go beyond what was presented by his predecessor. Some of his ideas, like his proof for the authority of the Buddha's words, are innovations, for Dignaga considered language just as fallible as inference.
There has long been disagreement among Indian and Tibetan doxographers as to how to categorize Dharmakirti's thought. The Gelug school asserts that he expressed Yogachara views, most non-Gelug Tibetan commentators assert that he expressed Sautrantika views and, according to one Tibetan source, a number of renowned later Indian Madhyamikas asserted that he expressed Madhyamaka views.[1]
Writings
- The Seven Treatises on Valid Cognition:
- Saṃbandhaparikṣhāvrtti (Analysis of Relations)
- Pramāṇaviniścaya (Ascertainment of Valid Cognition)
- Pramāṇavārttikakārika (Commentary on Dignaga's 'Compendium of Valid Cognition')
- Nyāyabinduprakaraṇa (Drop of Reasoning)
- Hetubindunāmaprakaraṇa (Drop of Reasons)
- Saṃtānāntarasiddhināmaprakaraṇa (Proof of Others' Continuums)
- Vādanyāyanāmaprakaraṇa (Reasoning for Debate)
References
- ↑ “Ngawang Palden in the Sautrantika chapter of his Explanation of the Conventional and the Ultimate in the Four Systems of Tenets (Grub mtha’ bzhi’i lugs kyi kun rdzob dang don dam pa’i don rnam par bshad pa legs bshad dpyid kyi dpal mo’i glu dbyangs, New Delhi: Guru Deva, 1972, 39.5-39.6) says that some such as Prajñakaragupta, Suryagupta, Shantarakshita, Kamalashila, and Jetari interpret Dharmakirti’s Commentary on [Dignaga’s] Compendium of Valid Cognition (Tshad ma rnam ’grel, Pramanavarttika) as a Madhyamika treatise." Dependent-Arising and Emptiness: A Tibetan Buddhist Interpretation of Madhyamika Philosophy Emphasizing the Compatibility of Emptiness and Conventional Phenomena Napper, Elizabeth. Boston: Wisdom Publications. p. 685, note 142