142178 KO Colloquium on the philosophies and religions of South Asia for advanced students (2023W)

theory of the whole as well as arguments in support of a variegated color (citrarūpa). While Dignāga's (ca. 480 to 540 CE) Pramāṇasamuccaya only rudimentarily discusses some matters pertaining to Abhidharma, Dharmakīrti (between ca. 550 and 650 CE) offers more nuanced criticisms both of the theory of the whole and of the notion of a variegated color. Subsequent Naiyāyikas and Vaiśeṣikas, in response to Dharmakīrti's criticisms, exert a great deal of effort to defend the theory of the whole and present novel explanations of the variegated color, which, naturally, are responded to by subsequent Buddhists, pushing the debate forward and repeating all the way until the demise of Buddhism on the Indian subcontinent.

When it comes to the topic of the variegated color, of particular importance among the works that postdate Dharmakīrti is Vyomaśiva's (ca. 9th century CE) Vyomavatī, as it contains the earliest preserved response to Dharmakīrti's objections in the Pramāṇavārttika. After briefly introducing the above mentioned topics and summarizing the main ideas and arguments up to the time of Dharmakīrti, we will quickly look at the most relevant passages of the Pramāṇavārttika thereon and then in more detail at Vyomaśiva's response.

(3) Pre-Gaṅgeśa Navya-Naiyāyika Defence of Testimony (śabda) being a Distinct Means of Valid Cognition (pramāṇa) (MA thesis)
Udayana’s Nyāyakusumāñjali III kk.13-15 and Śaśadhara’s Śabdaprāmāṇyavāda in his Nyāyasiddhāntadīpa serve as the primary textual basis of this thesis. There the two philosophers refute the Vaiśeṣika thesis that verbal knowledge (śābdī pramā), whose content is the association of word-meanings (padārthānvaya) is acquired through a particular form of inference, as well as the Prābhākara Mīmāṃsā thesis that worldly sentences only serve as an inferential mark for the speaker’s cognition. The project aims to analyze these arguments in detail, evaluate their strength, and finally figure out their particular conceptions of testimony. If time permits, the question of how Gaṅgeśa inherited and revised his predecessors’ thoughts will also be examined. In the colloquium, selected passages from relevant literature still to be determined will be presented, jointly read and discussed.

Upon notification of the instructor prior to the starting date of the course, additional thesis (MA or PhD) topics, no matter at which stage, in the area of philosophies and religions of South Asia may be freely introduced by the participants and will be assigned their own slots for joint discussion and study within the course.