The Problems of Knowledge in Yogacara Buddhism

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The present work 'The Problem of Knowledge in Yogicara Buddhism' is the published form of my thesis 'An Appraisal of Yogacara Epistemology' which was approved for the Degree of the Doctor of Philosophy by the University of Allahabad in 1966. It aims to draw a vivid and true picture of Yogacara epistemology by presenting its critical exposition along with its western parallels. It wants to clear up the misunderstanding caused by the biased and unbalanced criticism of Yogacara epistemology from Indian and Western philosophers.

The work took long four years of toil and turmoil. During these years I received support both moral and material from many great men without whose encouragement I would not have been able to reach the goal.

First of all I want to pay my homage to the sacred memory of late Professor R. N. Kaul, the Head of the Department of Philosophy, University of Allahabad. The paternal love and affection which have been bestowed upon me by him are valuable treasure which will remain always fresh in my memory and remind me the ideal relationship between the teachers and students of ancient India. Further I want to express my gratitude to Dr. Balbhadra Prasad the ex Vice- Chancellor of Allahabad University who has been a great patron of scholars and students and whose reign as the Vice- Chancellor of this University shall be remembered by all the students who come to University to study and prepare themselves as the soldiers of free India in all walks of life. I am grateful to Dr. Umesh Mishra the ex-Vice-Chancellor of the Darbhanga Sanskrit University, Bihar and Pandit Raghuvara Mittha Lal Sastri who always encouraged and explained me the problems of philosophy. Dr. S. Datta, the ex-Head of the Department of Philosophy, Allahabad University had always been kind enough to help me and solve my difficulties.

I am glad to find that Dr. C. L. Tripathi's thesis entitled 'An Appraisal of Yogacara Epistemology' is being published under the title 'The Problem of Knowledge in Yogacara Buddhism. Dr. Tripathi is my student and friend. He has patiently worked under me for several years and has tried to incorporate in his work all the views and arguments I told him from time to time. Whatever criticisms of modern interpretations of Buddhism are available in these pages I am personally responsible for them as infact they are my own criticisms. I firmly hold that Dinnaga's theory of knowledge is basically different from that of Hume, Kant or Wittgenstein and that those who have compared his theory, with that of Kant or British empiricists or modern Analytical Philosophers have done injustice to him. Further I believe that his theory of knowledge is basically correct and that it can change the course of contemporary philosophy, Western or Indian. Contemporary western philosophy, I think, has gone through a process of purgation and clarification recently, through the movements of logical Positivism, logical Empiricism and British Analysis and has come to a point where it feels that clarity is not enough or that vision or insight into the nature of truth and meaning is essential. Dinnaga has combined these two processes of Analysis and Insight into his theory of know- ledge, which is therefore extremely relevant to the present needs of contemporary western philosophy. Dr. Tripathi has endeavoured to reconstruct it in the light of available fragments from Dinnaga and its developments at the hands of Post-Dinnaga philosophers like Dharmakirti, Dharmottara, Prajñākaragupta, Śantarakşita, Kamalaśila and others.