Teaching & Learning Guide for: Buddhist Epistemology

Teaching & Learning Guide for: Buddhist Epistemology

Jonathan StoltzUniversity of St Thomas, Minnesota

This guide accompanies the following article: Buddhist Epistemology: The Study of Pram�an:a, Religion Compass 3 ⁄ 4 (2009), pp. 537–548, 10.1111/j.1749-8171.2009.00145.x

Author’s Introduction

Buddhist epistemology is by no means a new field of study, and yet knowledge of thisfield is still largely limited to a narrow group of specialists. Recent scholarship in Buddhist(and more broadly, Indian) epistemology, however, has (1) improved in quality, (2)broadened in subject matter, and (3) become more accessible to non-specialists. Thismakes it possible for students and scholars in broader fields of study – in particular, inChristianity and world religions, as well as both analytic and continental philosophy – tolearn more about Buddhist theories of knowledge and the impact that these theories havehad on the tradition’s broader religious and philosophical views. This guide offers aframework for teaching about Buddhist epistemology in an upper-level undergraduate orgraduate environment, in either a philosophy or religious studies course.

Annotated Reading List

1. Arnold, Dan. Buddhists, Brahmins, and Belief: Epistemology in South Asian Philosophy ofReligion. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005.The first section (chapters 1 and 2) of this highly philosophical book is dedicated todetailing Dign�aga’s account of epistemology and metaphysics.2. Dreyfus, Georges. Recognizing Reality: Dharmak�ırti’s Philosophy and its Tibetan Interpreta-tions. Albany: SUNY Press, 1997.By far the most complete account of Tibetan epistemology available. This work providesan excellent account of Dharmakı�rti’s system of metaphysics and epistemology and showshow his account was adopted ⁄ altered by subsequent Tibetan philosophers.3. Dunne, John. Foundations of Dharmak�ırti’s Philosophy. Boston: Wisdom Publications,2004.An excellent account of Dharmakı�rti’s philosophical system that succeeds in drawing outthe historical context of Dharmakı�rti’s contributions to Buddhist philosophy.4. Ganeri, Jonardon. Philosophy in Classical India: the Proper Work of Reason. New York:Routledge Press, 2001.Chapter 4 of this excellent introduction to Indian philosophy deals with the systems ofDign�aga and Dharmakı�rti.5. Hattori, Masaaki. Dign�aga, On Perception. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press,1968.An annotated translation of Dign�aga’s core philosophy text, the Pram�an:asamuccaya.6. Matilal, Bimal Krishna. The Character of Logic in India. Albany: SUNY Press, 1998.

Religon Compass Teaching & Learning Guide, Religon Compass 4/1 (2010): 51–54, 10.1111/j.1749-8171.2009.00181.x

ª 2010 The AuthorJournal Compilation ª 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

This work provides an intelligent account of Dign�aga and Dharmakı�rti’s theories of infer-ence in chapters 4 and 5.7. Matilal, Bimal Krishna. Perception: An Essay on Classical Indian Theories of Knowledge.Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1986.This book is one of the best available works on Indian epistemology. It succeeds in com-municating to its audience a sophisticated reading of Indian (including Buddhist) theoriesof knowledge, while also showing how these theories are related to Western philosophi-cal theories.8. Tillemans, Tom J. F. Scripture, Logic, Language: Essays on Dharmak�ırti and his TibetanSuccessors. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1999.A collection of essays by a highly regarded scholar of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. Thiswork is an excellent resource for those interested in Indo-Tibetan logic and epistemology.

Online Materials

1. http://www.rep.routledge.comThe online Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy contains numerous entries related to Bud-dhist epistemology. Of note are short articles on the Indian Buddhist thinkers Dign�agaand Dharmakı�rti, as well as the Tibetan philosopher Sakya Pad: ita. Other entries worthreading are: ‘Epistemology, Indian schools of,’ ‘Knowledge, Indian views of,’ and ‘Bud-dhist philosophy, Indian.’

Sample Syllabus

1. Introduction to Indian EpistemologyCore Readings:

• Georges Dreyfus, Recognizing Reality: Dharmak�ırti’s Philosophy and its Tibetan Interpreta-tions. Albany: SUNY Press, 1997, Introduction II and chapter 16.

• Jonardon Ganeri, Philosophy in Classical India: the Proper Work of Reason. New York:Routledge Press, 2001, chapter 1.

• Jonathan Stoltz, ‘Buddhist Epistemology: The Study of Pram�aa’ Religion Compass 3 ⁄4(2009): 537–48, 10.1111/j. 1749-8171.2009.00145.x

Additional Readings:

• Bimal Krishna Matilal, Perception: An Essay on Classical Indian Theories of Knowledge.Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1986, chapter 4.

• Mark Siderits, Buddhism as Philosophy. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 2007, chapter10.

2. InferenceCore Readings:

• Georges Dreyfus, Recognizing Reality: Dharmak�ırti’s Philosophy and its Tibetan Interpreta-tions. Albany: SUNY Press, 1997, chapter 18.

• Bimal Krishna Matilal, The Character of Logic in India. Albany: SUNY Press, 1998, chap-ters 4 and 5.

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• John Dunne, Foundations of Dharmak�ırti’s Philosophy. Boston: Wisdom Publications,2004, chapter 3.

• Richard Hayes, Dign�aga on the Interpretation of Signs. Dordrecht: D. Reidel, 1988.• Tom J.F. Tillemans, ‘On Sapaks:a’ reproduced in Scripture, Logic, Language: Essays on

Dharmak�ırti and his Tibetan Successors. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1999, chapter 5.

3. Testimony and Scriptural InferencesCore Readings:

• John Dunne, Foundations of Dharmak�ırti’s Philosophy. Boston: Wisdom Publications,2004, appendix 4.

• Tom J. F. Tillemans, Scripture, Logic, Language: Essays on Dharmak�ırti and his Tibetan Suc-cessors. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1999, chapter 2.


• Tom J. F. Tillemans, Scripture, Logic, Language: Essays on Dharmak�ırti and his Tibetan Suc-cessors. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1999, chapters 1 and 3.

• Ernst Steinkellner, ‘Tshad ma’i skyes bu: Meaning and Historical Significance of theTerm’ in Contributions on Tibetan and Buddhist Religion and Philosophy, Proceedings of theCsoma de Koros Symposium. Vienna: Arbeitskreis fur Tibetische und Buddhistische Stu-dien, Universitat Wien, 1983.

• Richard Hayes. ‘On the Buddha’s Authority: A Translation of the Pram�aasiddhi Chap-ter of Dharmakı�rti’s Pram�an:av�arttika,’ 2004. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from http://www.unm.edu/~rhayes/siddhi.pdf.

4. PerceptionCore Readings:

• Masaaki Hattori, Dign�aga, On Perception. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press,1968, chapter 1.

• Georges Dreyfus, Recognizing Reality: Dharmak�ırti’s Philosophy and its Tibetan Interpreta-tions. Albany: SUNY Press, 1997, chapters 19–21.


• Georges Dreyfus, Recognizing Reality: Dharmak�ırti’s Philosophy and its Tibetan Interpreta-tions. Albany: SUNY Press, 1997, chapters 22–6.

• Dan Arnold, Buddhists, Brahmins, and Belief: Epistemology in South Asian Philosophy ofReligion. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005, chapter 2.

• Bimal Krishna Matilal, Perception: An Essay on Classical Indian Theories of Knowledge.Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1986, chapters 7-10.

5. Epistemological SkepticismCore Readings:

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• Kamaleswar Bhattacharya, ‘The Dialectical Method of N�ag�arjuna.’ Journal of Indian Phi-losophy 1971: 217–61.

• Jonardon Ganeri, Philosophy in Classical India: The Proper Work of Reason. New York:Routledge Press, 2001, chapter 2.


• Jay Garfield and Graham Priest, ‘N�ag�arjuna and the Limits of Thought’ Philosophy East& West 2003: 1–21.

• Mark Siderits, ‘The Madhyamaka Critique of Epistemology I’ Journal of Indian Philoso-phy 1980: 307–35.

• Mark Siderits, ‘The Madhyamaka Critique of Epistemology II’ Journal of Indian Philoso-phy 1981: 121–160.

• Bimal Krishna Matilal, Perception: An Essay on Classical Indian Theories of Knowledge.Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1986, chapter 2.

Focus Questions

1. As discussed by Dreyfus (Introduction II) describe the central elements of the epistemo-logical turn in Indian philosophy, and critically assess the value of this philosophical move-ment.2. Elucidate the two different meanings of the term ‘pram�an:a’ given by the Buddhist andnon-Buddhist schools of epistemology, respectively. Which of these two understandingsof the term do you find to be most philosophically beneficial, and why?3. Matilal claims that for Indian (Ny�aya) philosophers merely having a truth-hitting cog-nition is not sufficient for knowledge. Explain how an appeal to pram�an:as is supposed tomake for a more adequate account of knowledge?4. Describe the main differences between the Ny�aya and Buddhist accounts of percep-tion. Which account do you think is more philosophically tenable? Why?5. What is so problematic about the separation between perception and conception forDharmakı�rti, and how does this affect the status of inference as a kind of valid cognition?6. The Ny�aya school claims that testimony is a pram�an:a, whereas Buddhists do not. Whatare the major differences between these two schools on the epistemological status of testi-mony and whose account is more tenable?7. As described by Ganeri (chapter 1), what is the skeptic’s motivation for concludingthat inference (i.e., ‘extrapolation’) is not a valid means of knowledge?8. What role does the example of fire play in N�ag�arjuna’s arguments against pram�an:a? Arehis arguments successful? Why or why not?

Seminar Activity

Have students think of simple, ordinary examples of knowledge (as well as cases of erroror illusion). Write these examples on the blackboard. Then break the students into twogroups that will subsequently have a debate. One group will be supporters of Buddhistepistemology, and the other will play the role of epistemological skeptics. The first groupmust argue in defense of the given examples of knowledge, showing how and why theseare genuine cases of knowledge, and the skeptics must argue as compellingly as possibleagainst these examples yielding knowledge.

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Teaching & Learning Guide for: Buddhist Epistemology