Recognizing Reality: Dharmakirti's Philosophy and Its Tibetan Interpretations

by Georges B.J. Dreyfus

Dreyfus examines the central ideas of Dharmakirti, one of the most important Indian Buddhist philosophers, and their reception among Tibetan thinkers. During the golden age of ancient Indian civilization, Dharmakirti articulated and defended Buddhist philosophical principles. He did so more systematically than anyone before his time (the seventh century CE) and was followed by a rich tradition of profound thinkers in India and Tibet. This work presents a detailed picture of this Buddhist tradition and its relevance to the history of human ideas. Its perspective is mostly philosophical, but it also uses historical considerations as they relate to the evolution of ideas.

Genres: Buddhism, Philosophy

622 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Kirstian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Homage to Manjushri! If I ever achieve my M.A., it will largely (almost entirely) be thanks to Georges B.J. Dreyfus and this particular work. Even if you have no interest in Tibetan Buddhism, this book delivers a lucid, much needed and "reader-friendly" overview of Western philosophy (predominantly analytic tradition). Of course, such is offered to make possible his more exacting discussion of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy; particularly Dharmakirti's theory.*

Georges Dreyfus has both a Ph.D. in Western philosophy and also holds the much coveted, extremely rare equivalent title of "Geshe" in the Tibetan scholastic system. So, i don't know what else to say. If you want to know how things exist (at least from the Buddhist perspective), Dreyfus is your man. And he does it all, for the most part, in "layman's terms"! But please note: if you're more interested in deconstructionism, he addresses that kind of East-West comparison more in his "The Sound of Two Hands Clapping."

e.g., the "Dignaga-Dharmakirti "logico-epistemological" tradition.

[Sam Vanneman · Rating 5 out of 5]

so very good. excellent writing. a new look at an old and perhaps well traversed topic (i.e. - the problem of universals and attendant corollaries).