Foundations of Dharmakirti's Philosophy by John D. Dunne

by John D. Dunne

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.

Genres: Philosophy, Buddhism, Spirituality

Paperback

First published June 15, 2004

About the author

John D. Dunne, Ph.D. (Religion, Harvard University, 1999; A.M., Sanskrit and Indian Studies, Harvard, 1988; A.B., English Literature, Amherst College, 1984) is the Distinguished Chair in Contemplative Humanities through the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also holds a co-appointment in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literature. Until January 2016, he was Associate Professor in the Department of Religion and the Graduate Division of Religion at Emory University.

Reviews

[bad · Rating 4 out of 5]

exploration of early buddhist logic, specifically dharmakirti (the lord of reason), as interpreted mainly by his two main and earliest commentators: sakyabuddhi and devendrabuddhi.

[Uday Bhardwaj · Rating 4 out of 5]

easy enough to follow, for this type of book at least. "De re" and "de dicto" implications were highly interesting.