BSTD 404: Buddhist Epistemology
This course aims to introduce students to Buddhist epistemology, beginning with its emergence in the greater Indian philosophical context and its development in dialogue with non-Buddhist schools, and culminating with its impact on Tibetan Buddhism. Topics studied include: pramāna (“instrument of knowledge”) theory, perception (sensory and yogic), inference, apoha (“exclusion” theory of meaning), realism and anti-realism, and the compatibility of Buddhist epistemology with Madhyamaka. Particular emphasis is placed upon understanding the relationship between Buddhist soteriology and epistemology.
