Abstract

Logic in Buddhist philosophy concerns the systematic study of anumāna (often translated as inference) as developed by Dignāga and Dharmakīrti. The focus of this chapter is on the tradition of Buddhist philosophy called pramānavada, which is concerned mainly with epistemology and logic. The chapter contains a discussion of the philosophy of logic that is attributable to Buddhist logicians. It examines what “inference” or “logic” might mean for Buddhist logicians and then sketches the Buddhist conception of the nature of logic by uncovering some of the presuppositions that underlie the thoughts expressed in Buddhist logic texts. Epistemology in the Buddhist philosophical tradition is generally concerned with instruments or sources of knowledge.