The Ksanabhangasiddhi-Anvayatmika : An eleventh-century Buddhist work on existence and causal theory

The Ksanabhan˙gasiddhi-Anvayātmikā (KSA) is an authoritative work on Buddhist logic and ontology written in the eleventh century by Ratnakīrti who belonged to the University of Vikramaśīla in Bengal. This work continues the Buddhist Pramāna tradition founded by Dignāga (480–540 C.E.) and elaborated by Dharmakīrti (600–660 C.E.). The KSA deals with many of the central topics of Indian philosophical discourse in the course of defending the Buddhist doctrine of momentariness against the rival Naiy¯yikas. The highlight is its penetrating analysis of the nature of existence and causality. Ratnakirti had detailed knowledge of the earlier writers belonging to both his and his opponents\u27 traditions. As a work written at a pivotal time in the history of Indian philosophy, the KSA reflects the culmination of a style of debate, and shows all facets of classical scholarship on logic. This dissertation comprises three major sections. The first section is a brief review of the author and the work. The second section summarizes the notion of existence and the causal theory. It compares the Ksanabhan˙gavādins\u27 positions as represented by Ratnakīrti to the Naiyāyikas\u27 views. The third section consists of the text and a translation with critical study. This section improves upon the previous editions of H. Śārtī and A. Thakur by incorporating material from two manuscripts and quotations from the original sources of Ratnakīrti\u27s predecessors and their opponents. Extensive discussion is given to each argument in the notes together with identifying its background and explicating certain key philosophical terms