This is the rhetorical and debate manual. It covers the rules of logical statements (the hetu ), examples, and how to structure an argument to convince an opponent.
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Here, Dharmakirti dives into perception. He distinguishes between nirvikalpaka (non-conceptual perception—the raw data) and savikalpaka (conceptual perception—the labeled world). He argues that true perception occurs without mental construction, which is a key meditation insight. This is the rhetorical and debate manual
In the vast ocean of Buddhist philosophy, certain texts act as lighthouses—guiding scholars and practitioners through the fog of confusion toward the shores of valid reasoning. One such monumental lighthouse is Dharmakirti’s 7th-century masterpiece, the Pramanavarttika (Commentary on Valid Cognition). He argues that true perception occurs without mental
For the modern student, the quest often begins with a simple, three-word Google search: