Buddhist Epistemology

(Hardback)

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Description

Knowledge plays a very significant role in Buddhism, as it is the gateway to enlightenment and nirvana. This volume provides a clear and exhaustive exposition of Buddhist epistemology and logic, based on the works of classical thinkers such as Vasubandhu, Dinnga, and Dharmakiriti. It traces the historical development of this theory, identifies the most important schools and thinkers, and defines its main conceptsthe criteria of truth, the nature of reality, and the concepts of perception and inference, the only two sources of knowledge accepted in Buddhist philosophy. The appendix contains the Sanskrit original and an annotated translation of Nyaya Prave'sa, a key text of Buddhist epistemology, which discusses the nature of perception and inference and their fallacies.

Reviews

There is a dearth of material in English serving as a general introduction to the work of the Buddhist epistemologists, and this book is useful as guide to their views and the controversies they engaged in.-Journal of Asian and African Studies
This valuable book sheds light on abstruse topics and will allow readers to gain a clearer appreciation of the depths of Buddhists knowledge, -Educational Book Review
"This valuable book sheds light on abstruse topics and will allow readers to gain a clearer appreciation of the depths of Buddhists knowledge,"-Educational Book Review
"There is a dearth of material in English serving as a general introduction to the work of the Buddhist epistemologists, and this book is useful as guide to their views and the controversies they engaged in."-Journal of Asian and African Studies

Author Bio

S. R. BHATT is Senior Professor of Philosophy at Delhi University. His research interests include Indian philosophy, logic and epistemology, social and political thought, and philosophy of religion. He has published numerous scholarly articles and seven books, including The Philosophy of Pancaratra (1968) and Knowledge, Values and Education (1986). ANU MEHROTRA is senior scholar of Philosophy at Delhi University./e Her research interests include Indian Philosophy, logic and epistemology, philosophy of religion, and social and political thought. She has published scholarly articles on Nehru and Buddhist Philosophy.