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Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s7.t4: Collected Topics of Tibetan Buddhism

Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s7.t4

Language
English

Collected Topics of Tibetan Buddhism

v1.c7.s7.t4.1

Collected Topics of Tibetan Buddhism (bob brgyud nang bstan chos lugs bsdus graw) is a special discipline that conducts classification, conduction and summarisation for essentials of Hetuvidya, and a compulsory course of Dharma Character for beginners. It plays a role in “establishing correct intelligence to defeat heretical theories” in the criticising circle of Buddhism and all other heresies and becomes the requisite defense skill and thinking formula in obtaining religious academic rank.

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Theoretic system of collected topics is composed of three parts: small principle, middle principle and large principle from which develop from the easy to the difficult. Small principle starts from identifying red and white colours and realising the term and concept of Hetuvidya gradually and its deduction is short and poignant; middle principle is a process to realise things, analyse the conflicts such as contradiction and compliance and expand its *Pramana* knowledge; great principle is entry into debate stage of *prasangika* debate mode which aims at displaying mistakes in thought and cognitions through debate and has profound ways and complicate interference.

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Three procedures includes disputing with other schools, establishing self-concept and defeating wrong thoughts for the principles of collected topics, ie raising questions, expounding opinions and drawing conclusions. Disputing with other schools is based on Pramana theory, adopts the form of prasangika debate, refutes wrong opinions of others, dispels doubts of others, and obtains argumentation of truth. Establishing self-concept is to demonstrate opinions of the arguer and observe and quote the opinions of classical works of Pramana such as Dignaga’s *Pramana-samuccaya* and Dharmakirti’s *Pramanavarttika*. Defeating wrong thoughts is established to dispel doubts and wrong opinions of others. Theoretical opinions are expressed in the arguer’s stand to refute various theories proposed by the other party.

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Connotation structure of collected topics is composed of blo rig and rtags rig. The former is to expound connotations and psychological cognition (psychology) of Hetuvidya from the perspective of cognition; rtags rig is to expound the two concepts including pratyaksa-pramana and anumana-pramana from the perspective of logics (logics).

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The ultimate objective of Tibetan Buddhism Hetuvidya is to infer and prove the theoretic concepts of Buddhism such as “performing good deeds to eliminate evils, karma and retribution, eliminating worries and nirvana”. Meanwhile, it focusses on Dharmakirti’s Hetuvidya, proposes reality in external environment, admits objective existence, attaches importance to roles of Buddhist pramana in the process of knowing things and forms a kind of system of Hetuvidya theory with unique characteristics.

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(*Yao Weiqun*)

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