Jnanasrimitra (975-1025) was regarded by both Buddhists and non-Buddhists as the most important Indian philosopher of his generation. His theory of exclusion combined a philosophy of language with a theory of conceptual content to explore the nature of words and thought. Jnanasrimitra's theory informed much of the work accomplished at Vikramasila, a monastic and educational complex instrumental to the growth of Buddhism. His ideas were also passionately debated among successive Hindu and Jain philosophers.
This volume marks the first English translation of Jnanasrimitra's Monograph on Exclusion, a careful, critical investigation into language, perception, and conceptual awareness. Featuring the rival arguments of Buddhist and Hindu intellectuals, among other thinkers, the Monograph reflects more than half a millennium of competing claims while providing an invaluable introduction to a crucial philosopher. Lawrence J. McCrea and Parimal G. Patil familiarize the reader with the author, themes, and topics of the text and situate Jnanasrimitra's findings within his larger intellectual milieu. Their clear, accessible, and accurate translation proves the influence of Jnanasrimitra on the foundations of Buddhist and Indian philosophy.
Buddhist Philosophy of Language in India: Jnanasrimitra on Exclusion, Lawrence J. McCrea, Parimal G. Patil, Columbia University Press, Paperback, 204 pp, $32.00
Lawrence J. McCrea is assistant professor of Sanskrit Studies at Cornell University and the author of The Teleology of Poetics in Medieval Kashmir.
Parimal G. Patil (PhD, Philosophy of Religions, Chicago) is Professor of Religion and Indian Philosophy and Chair of South Asian Studies at Harvard University. He is the author of Against a Hindu God: Buddhist Philosophy of Religion in India (Columbia, 2009) and coauthor (with Lawrence J. McCrea) of Buddhist Philosophy of Language in India: Jnanasrimitra on Exclusion (Columbia, 2010).
Preface
Introduction
1. Jnanasrimitra's Intellectual World and Its History
Jnanasrimitra's Intellectual Contexts
Philosophical Traditions and Text Traditions
Sanskrit Intellectual Practices
Sources of Knowledge
2. The Buddhist Epistemological Tradition: Dignaga and Dharmakirti
Objects and Their Status
The Elements of Inferential Reasoning
3. Dharmottara's Epistemological Revolution
4. Jnanasrimitra's Reworking of the Theory of Exclusion
Relativization of Internal and External
Conditionally Adopted Positions
5. Translation Practices
Editorial Conventions
Numbering System
Jnanasrimitra's Monograph on Exclusion
Outline
Translation
Sanskrit Text of the Monograph on Exclusion
Abbreviations
Notes
Bibliography
Index
