Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies (Vol. 9): Buddhist Philosophy from 350 to 600 A.D.

This the third Volume in this Encyclopedia to deal with Buddhist philosophy, takes the reader from the middle of the fourth century to the end of the sixth. Many of the authors and texts treated here are not well known to the casual student of Buddhism. The most important author is clearly Dignaga who is almost entirely responsible for turning Indian Buddhism toward an exhaustive analysis of epistemic considerations and in particular of inferential reasoning. But other authors whose works are summarized here deserve to be better known in particular the rival Yogacara commentators Buddhapalita and Bhavya, the latter of whom in particular introduces for the first time into Buddhism contrasts between the viewpoint of his particular brand of Buddhism and all the other system of contemporary India, and not just the Buddhists.

About the Editor:

He is professor of Philosophy and South Asian Studies at the University of Washington in Seattle, and is General Editor of the Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies.

Preface:

In the Preface of Volume VIII the previous volume of this Encyclopedia dealing with Buddhist philosophy, certain disclaimers were made by this Editor. These remarks concerning the limitations on our knowledge of the Buddhist authors and works and the shortcomings of the Editor's understanding of the material there surveyed apply like wise to material in the present Volumes, whose Editor is unfortunately the same person. I can only hope that some one more conversant with the languages and literature of Buddhist philosophy can be found to write the Introductions to the future Volumes.

This Volume like its predecessors, has been made possible in part by grant from various agencies: the American Institute of Indian studies, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Smithsonian Institute as well as the University of Washington. Many thanks to all. I should like particularly to thank Prof. Eli Franco for his needed last- minute corrections to the Introduction, some of which came unfortunately, though no fault of his, too late to incorporate into the final version published here an Dr. Christine Mullikin Keyt has as before provided invaluable aid in resolving many of the problems that have arisen during the preparation of the manuscript on my present computer and its predecessors.