What Can We Know? Dignāga and Dharmakīrti on Valid Cognition
Dignāga and Dharmakīrti accepted only perception and inference as valid. You'll work through the trairūpya and apoha and see how this shaped Buddhist logic and still speaks to evidence and testimony.
Steps
- 1
- Reading· ~10 min
Dharmakīrti: Causal Efficacy and the Real
How Dharmakīrti refined Buddhist logic and grounded reality in causal power.
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- Text Explore· ~8 min
The Apoha Doctrine
Explore Dignāga's radical theory of how words mean.
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- Argument Map· ~10 min
Two Pramāṇas: The Case for Restriction
Map Dignāga's argument that only perception and inference are valid sources of knowledge.
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- Dialogue· ~10 min
Dialogue with Dharmakīrti
Challenge Dharmakīrti's exclusion of testimony as valid knowledge.
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- Reflection· ~8 min
Reflection: What Do You Trust?
Reflect on the limits and sources of your own knowledge.
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Complete the Reflection step in this path to rate it and share your thoughts in the comments.