Dharmakirti
Dharmakirti (circa 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.
Born around the turn of the 7th century, Dharmakirti was a South Indian Brahman and became a teacher at the famed Nalanda University, as well as a poet. He built on and re-interpreted the work of the pioneer in Buddhist Logic, Dignaga, and was very influential among Brahman logicians as well as Buddhists. His theories became normative in Tibet and are studied to this day as a part of the basic monastic curriculum.
*The "Seven Treatises on Valid Cognition"
** (Analysis of Relations)
** (Ascertainment of Valid Cognition)
** (Commentary on Dignaga's 'Compendium of Valid Cognition')
** (Drop of Reasoning)
** (Drop of Reasons)
** (Proof of Others' Continuums)
** (Reasoning for Debate)
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.
*
Buddhist Logic (1932) by
Fyodor Shcherbatskoy introduced the West to Buddhist logic, more specifically to Dignaga. According to some (but not all) Buddhist philosophers, this pioneering work is now somewhat outdated, due to its apparent Kantianism (Kantian transcendental idealism is still unchallenged, see Godel, Kurt, 1949, "A Remark about the Relationship between Relativity Theory and Idealistic Philosophy," in Paul A. Schlipp (ed.),
Albert Einstein, Philosopher-Scientist, New York: Tudor Publishing Company, p. 559). A few of those minority of Buddhists who maintain that Stcherbatsky is outdated maintain that it is superseded by Dunne's academic book (see below)
*A contemporary work is:
Foundations of Dharmakirti's Philosophy John D. Dunne, Wisdom Publications, 2004
*There is also extensive discussion of the Dharmakirti's Tibetan reception in:
Recognizing Reality: Dharmakirti's Philosophy and Its Tibetan Interpretations, (S U N Y Series in Buddhist Studies), Goerges Dreyfus, State University of New York Press, 1996
*
Buddhist atomism
