Preliminaries

Abstract

This chapter lays the foundation for the remainder of the book. It provides a brief historical overview of the most central figures in the Buddhist epistemological tradition and emphasizes the importance of two figures in particular, Dignāga and Dharmakīrti. The chapter additionally provides an overview of several of the most important terms and concepts that are employed within Buddhist epistemological treatises. In particular, an extensive discussion is provided of the notion of a pramāṇa, which is the most important concept in all of Buddhist epistemology. Multiple different understandings of the term pramāṇa are elucidated, including those of a pramāṇa as an “instrument of knowledge” and as an “episode of knowledge.”