Bodhisattvacharyavatara

by Andreas Kretschmar | 246,740 words

The English translation of the Bodhisattvacharyavatara (“entering the conduct of the bodhisattvas”), a Sanskrit text with Tibetan commentary. This book explains the bodhisattva concept and gives guidance to the Buddhist practitioner following the Mahāyāna path towards the attainment of enlightenment. The text was written in Sanskrit by Shantideva ...

There are four principles of reasoning [rigs pa rnam pa bzhi; skr. yukti-catuṣṭayam]:[1]

  1. the principle of reality [ngo bo chos nyid kyi rigs pa; skr. dharmatā-yukti];
  2. the principle of efficacy [bya ba byed pa’i rigs pa; skr. kāryakāraṇa-yukti];
  3. the principle of dependency [’bras bu ltos pa’i rigs pa; skr. apekṣā-yukti]; and
  4. the principle of valid proof [’thad pa sgrub pa’i rigs pa; skr. upapattisādhana-yukti].

These four principles of reasoning constitute a very extensive subject which cannot be exhaustively considered at this point. Therefore, we will give only a short definition:

1. The principle of reality: This reasoning considers the reasoning of natural conditions of things. For example, the natural condition [chos nyid] of fire is to be hot. Nobody can deny that fire is hot.

2. The principle of efficacy [bya ba byed pa’i rigs pa]: This reasoning considers the causes [rgyu la ltos pa’i rigs pa] their consequences. This reasoning is based on the fact that ’if something exists, it will lead to something else’ [gang zhig yod na gang zhig byung ba ’gyur ba]; and ‘if this exists, then that must arise’ [’di yod na ’di byung dgos]. A cause inevitably leads to a result [rgyu yod na ’bras bu byung dgos red]. For example, when the sun rises, darkness is dispelled.

3. The principle of dependency [’bras bu ltos pa’i rigs pa]: This reasoning considers dependent production, the result. A result or fruition [’bras bu] must always rely on a cause [rgyu la ltos dgos]. For example, when there is no mother, there will be no child. A child can only come about by having a mother. This reasoning is based on the fact that ’if something does not exist, it cannot lead to something else’ [gang zhig med na gang zhig mi byung ba]. ‘If this does not exist, that cannot arise’ [’di med na ’di yong gi ma red].

4. The principle of valid proof [’thad pa sgrub pa’i rigs pa]: This reasoning uses the three former types of reasoning to refute wrong statements. For instance, if someone states, ‘Fire is cold’, the first principle of reasoning refutes this since such a statement contradicts the reasoning of reality or of natural conditions. By means of ‘valid proof’ [’thad pa] one checks whether or not a statement is correct.

This principle of valid proof uses ‘the three means of valid cognition’ [tshad ma gsum]:

  1. the validity of direct perception [mngon sum tshad ma; skr. pratyakṣa-pramāṇa],
  2. the validity of deduction or inference [rjes dpag tshad ma; skr. anumāna-pramāṇa] and
  3. the valid cognition of scriptual authority [lung gi tshad ma; skr. āgama-pramāṇa].[2]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See Reason’s Traces, pages 320-322.

[2]:

The four means of valid cognition [tshad ma rnam pa bzhi] include ‘the valid cognition demonstrated through examples’ [dper nyer ’jal kyi tshad ma].

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