Dignaga on the Interpretation of Signs

by Richard P. Hayes

Buddhist philosophy in India in the early sixth century C. E. took an important tum away from the traditional methods of explaining and systematizing the teachings in Siitra literature that were attributed to the Buddha. The new direction in which several Indian Buddhist philosophers began to move was that of following reasoning to its natural conclusions, regardless whether the conclusions conflicted with traditional teachings. The central figure in this new movement was DiIinaga, a native of South India who found his way to the centre of Buddhist education at Nalanda, studied the treatises that were learned by the Buddhist intellectuals of his day, and eventually wrote works of his own that formed the core of a distinctly new school of Buddhist thought. Inasmuch as virtually every Indian philosopher after the sixth century had either to reject Dirinaga's methods or build upon the foundations provided by his investigations into logic, epistemology and language, his influence on the evolution of Indian philosophy was considerable, and indeed some familiarity with Dirinaga's arguments and conclusions is indispensable for anyone who wishes to understand the historical development of Indian thought. Moreover, since the approach to Buddhism that grew out of Dirinaga's meditations on language and the limits of knowledge dominated the minds of many of the scholars who took Buddhism to Tibet, some familiarity with Dirinaga is also essential to those who wish to understand the intellectual infrastructure of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and practice.

Genres: Philosophy

380 pages, Hardcover

First published February 17, 1988

Reviews

[Kirstian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dignaga on the Interpretation of Signs by Richard P. Hayes


This book was admittedly way over my head. Hayes offers an unprecedented, perhaps unparalleled exegesis of Dignaga's 2nd and 5th chapters (of his "Pramanasamuccaya," or "Compendium on Valid Cognition," I believe). Basically, (or to greatly simplify), Hayes's commentary will be challenging to one lacking formal training in Western Philosophical Logic. That is Hayes's great and quite unique contribution to the ever-evolving canon of translated Buddhist philosophical texts. Case-in-point, Hayes's commentary remained quite a bit over my head. Nonetheless, his (seemingly) straightforward translation of Dignaga's 2nd and 5th chapters of the Pramanasamuccaya; (the 5th being his renowned "Apoha theory" of language), were quite helpful and truly, truly appreciated (since I wrote about Dignaga for a term paper). As I have said elsewhere, one who lacks formal training in Western analytical Logic might just skip to the translation, where Hayes offers an alternate, very condensed version of his (and other Buddhist thinkers')commentaries with the all the necessary citations (e.g., footnotes, endnotes, etc.) to direct readers with further interest.

*PS: I really wish there was a paperback edition, because i still need this book but it is way to expensive as a hardcover! (hint, hint...)