Description
While a short work of only eight verses and a three-page autocommentary, the Investigation of the Percept has inspired epistemologists for centuries and has had a wide-ranging impact in India, Tibet, and China. Dignaga, one of the major figures in Buddhist epistemology, explores issues such as the relation between the mind and its percepts, the problems of idealism and realism, and the nature of intentionality in this brief but profound text.This volume provides a comprehensive history of the text in India and Tibet from 5th century India to the present day. This team of philologists, historians of religion and philosophers who specialize in Tibetan, Sanskrit and Chinese philosophical literature has produced the first study of the text and its entire commentarial tradition. Their approach makes it possible to employ the methods of critical philology and cross-cultural philosophy to provide readers with a rich collection of studies and translations, along with detailed philosophical analyses that open up the intriguing implications of Dign=aga's thought and demonstrate the diversity of commentarial approaches to his text.The comprehensive nature of the work reveals the richness of commentary in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism and shows surprising parallels between the modern West and traditional Buddhist philosophy.
Table of Contents
AcknowledgmentsThe Research TeamIntroductionPart I. Studies and Translations1. The Subject Matter of Investigation of the Percept: A Tale of Five CommentariesMalcolm David Eckel, Jay L. Garfield, and John Powers2. Investigation of the PerceptDign=aga3. Autocommentary to Investigation of the PerceptDign=aga4. "To Please Beginners": Vinitdadeva's Subcommentary on Investigation of the Percept in its Indian ContextMalcolm David Eckel5. Subcommentary on Investigation of the PerceptVinitadeva6. Introduction to Ornament for Dign=aga's Thought in Investigation of the PerceptDouglas Duckworth7. Ornament for Dign=aga's Thought in Investigation of the PerceptGung thang dKon mchog bstan pa'i sgron me8. Ngawang Dendar's CommentaryJohn Powers9. Beautiful String of Pearls: A Commentary on Investigation of the PerceptNgag dbang bstan dar10. Introduction to Summary of the Essence: A Commentary on Investigation of the PerceptJay L. Garfield, John Powers, and Sonam Thakchöe11. Summary of the Essence: A Commentary on Investigation of the Percept Yeshes ThabkhasPart II. Tibetan TextsInvestigation of the Percept and Its Autocommentary: The Tibetan Texts12. Investigation of the Percept (Alambana-pariksa)Dign=aga13. Autocommentary to Investigation of the Percept (Alambana-pariksa-vrtti)Dign=aga14. Subcommentary on Investigation of the Percept: The Tibetan Text15. Subcommentary on Investigation of the Percept (Alambana-pariksa-tika)Vinitadeva16. Ornament for Dign=aga's Thought Regarding Investigation of the Percept: Tibetan Text17. Ornament for Dign=aga's Thought Regarding Investigation of the Percept (dMigs pa brtag pa'i 'grel pa phyogs glang dgongs rgyan)Gung thang dKon mchog bstan pa'i sgron me18. Beautiful String of Pearls: A Commentary on Investigation of the Percept: Tibetan Text19. Beautiful String of Pearls: A Commentary on Investigation of the Percept (dMigs pa brtag pa'i 'grel pa mu tig 'phreng mdzes)Ngag dbang bstan dar20. Summary of the Essence: A Commentary on Investigation of the Percept (dMigs brtag 'grel pa snying po bsdus pa)Yeshes ThabkhasEnglish-Tibetan-Sanskrit GlossaryBibliographyIndex
