Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c6.s5.t13.5

c6.s5.t13.5

Ratnakīrti was one of the brilliant disciples of Dharmakīrti. In continuation to Dharmakīrti’s *Santānāntarasiddhi*, he wrote *Santānāntaradūṣaṇa* (Refutation of Other Mind-streams) in which he further developed and refined the themes of substantiation of other mind-streams. He did not refute the tenets of *Santānāntarasiddhi*, but further developed the topic from an empirical one, that is, where there are manifold minds cognized by one’s experience of others’ mental processes attributed through the perceived actions of other sentient beings to an absolutist view, there is only “one mind-stream” (*ekacitta*). Ratnakīrti’s argument is that the valid cognition (*pramāṇa*) of another’s mind-stream is an inference (*anumāna*) and not a direct perception (*pratyakṣa*). Moreover, Ratnakīrti introduced the two truths doctrine as key to the nature of the discussion as inference is trafficking with illusory universals (*sāmānya*), the proof of the mind-streams of others, whilst empirically valid in relative truth (*saṃvṛti-satya*), does not hold ultimate metaphysical certainty in absolute truth (*paramārtha-satya*).