The Buddhist Concepts of Pramana and Pratyaksa

The book is a critical analysis of basic concepts of pramana and pratyaksa of Buddhist epistemology, found in the works of Dignaga, Dharmakirti, Santarakita et al. The theories of these Nyayavadi Bauddhas regarding these concepts play a significant role in Indian epistemology. The debate raging between the Buddhist, Nyaya and Mimamsa systems regarding these concepts has enriched classical Indian epistemology. The Nyaya and Mimamsa critiques of these concepts help us to understand the complex structure of the Buddhist thought. Yet, a proper perspective of the Buddhist position cannot be gleaned from these, because the Buddhist views do not always correcpond to the critique’s interpretations and critics chose to analyse them in the backdrop of those views which are indigenous to their own systems. To have a proper perspective of the Buddhist views, we need to anlyse them in the light of those doctrines, which form the cornerstone of Buddhist philosophy and we require a study of the original texts of Dignaga, Dharmakirit, Santaraksita et at. The present work tries to show that a careful study of these text reveals that most criticisms of Mimamsa, Nyaya and Jaina philosophers could be refuted in the light of the fundamental Buddhist view on pramana and its different forms can be defended against the onslaught of the critiques. Current deconstructionist thinking is supported by the Buddhist theory of perpetual flux. The book has a modern relevance in that it look at cognitive episodes in the light of the flux theory.