Overview

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.

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9780861711840

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Dunne displays a mastery of primary and secondary sources, and, given the semantic fluidity of Sanskrit technical terms, an admirable stylistic consistency.... Foundations of Dharmakirti's Philosophy stands as one of the most innovative and sophisticated attempts to engage with Dharmakirti's project in a systematic way. --Christian Coseru, College of Charleston on H-Net.org

Dunne displays a mastery of primary and secondary sources, and, given the semantic fluidity of Sanskrit technical terms, an admirable stylistic consistency.... Foundations of Dharmakirti's Philosophy stands as one of the most innovative and sophisticated attempts to engage with Dharmakirti's project in a systematic way. --Christian Coseru, College of Charleston on H-Net.org

Author Information

John D. Dunne is a professor of Buddhist Studies at Emory University in Atlanta. He attended Amherst College and in 1999 received his PhD in Sanskrit and Tibetan studies from Harvard University. Before Emory, John was on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and conducted research at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and the Central University of Higher Tibetan Studies in Sarnath, India. A co-director of Emory's Collaborative for Contemplative Studies as well as the Encyclopedia of Contemplative Practices, he is also a fellow of the Mind and Life Institute and an advisor to the Center for Investigating HealthyMinds. He frequently serves as a translator for Tibetan scholars, and as a consultant, he is involved in various scientific studies of contemplative practices.

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