On November 19, the Center for Buddhist Studies at Fo Guang University hosted the second session of its "Buddhist Pedagogy Workshop." Guest Associate Professor Li Shenghai from the Department of Philosophy at National Taiwan University was invited to speak on the topic "Madhyamaka Epistemology: Bhāvaviveka’s Inheritance and Modification of Dignāga’s Theories." He guided faculty and students into the complex and intricate intellectual interplay between two pivotal figures in Indian Buddhist philosophy: the Madhyamaka scholar Bhāvaviveka and the master of logic/epistemology (Pramāṇa), Dignāga.
Prof. Li explained that Bhāvaviveka, a representative of Svātantrika Madhyamaka, was profoundly influenced by Dignāga’s logic. However, rather than accepting it wholesale, Bhāvaviveka adopted a strategy of "absorption with critique." He utilized Dignāga’s logical tools but modified them to align with Madhyamaka philosophy.
Regarding particulars (svalakṣaṇa) and universals (sāmānyalakṣaṇa), Bhāvaviveka adopted Dignāga’s structural framework distinguishing direct perception from inference. However, he retained traditional Abhidharma definitions for these terms. This hybrid approach allowed him to ground new logical theories within older, foundational Buddhist discourses.
On the topic of direct perception (pratyakṣa), Bhāvaviveka agreed with Dignāga that it must be "free from conceptual construction." Yet, he nuance this by using Abhidharma classifications to argue that while sensory consciousness possesses "intrinsic conceptualization," it still qualifies as non-conceptual direct perception. This demonstrated his effort to harmonize Dignāga’s theories with broader traditions.
A major point of divergence discussed was "self-awareness" (svasaṃvedana). Unlike Dignāga and the Yogācāra school, who viewed self-cognition as essential to valid knowledge, Bhāvaviveka denied it. Drawing from Nagarjuna, he argued that consciousness cannot reflexively know itself. Prof. Li noted that this was not merely an epistemological disagreement but a fundamental rejection of Yogācāra metaphysics.
Prof. Li concluded that Bhāvaviveka’s work was a creative reinterpretation. By redefining core concepts like the means of knowledge (pramāṇa) and its result (phala), Bhāvaviveka added philosophical depth to Madhyamaka argumentation, paving the way for later scholars like Śāntarakṣita to develop sophisticated epistemological systems.
