The epistemological tradition of Buddhism

Philological, historical, and systematical research on the Buddhist epistemological tradition in its Indian (ca 5th to 13th centuries A.D.) and Tibetan (ca 9th to 20th centuries A.D.) periods to be conducted in the following team and individual studies: A. Editions of the Pramanasamuccayatika(PST): critical edition of PST, chapter I, chapter II (partly); diplomatic edition of PST, chapter I, chapter II (pairtly); transcription of chapters III (partly), and chapters IV-V1 B. Efforts towards opening the manuscript treasures in the PR China C. Individual studies: 1. Publication of the Sankhya-fragments from PST, chapter I 2. Reconstruction of Dignaga`s Pramanasamuccaya(vrtti), chapter II 3. Annotated translation of Dharmakirti`s *Hetuprakarana (logical parts only) 4. Critical edition of Dharmakirti`s Pramanaviniscaya, chapters I and II 5. Critical edition of Dharmakirti`s Pramanaviniscaya, chapter III 6. Translation of Dharmakirti`s Pramanaviniscaya, chapter III (partly) 7. Studies on Dharmakirti`s theory of concept 8. Critical edition of Dharmottara`s Pramanaviniscayatika, chapter II 9. Structural analysis of Jnanasrimitra`s Sakarasiddhisastra with regard to his theory of the `aspects/forms` of cognition 10. Annotated translation of the last part of the Tattvasiddhi 11. Historical and systematical study of the theories on supranormal cognition in the epistemological school 12. Translation of sTag-tshang lotsava`s Rig-gnas kun-shes-nas bdag-med grub-pa D. Preparatory work on the project of a `Bauddhanyayakosa`

To regain and to recount the ideas and history of the Buddhist epistemological and logical tradition in India and Tibet through editorial and interpretational work was the task of a series of preliminary projects made possible by the FWF. During the reported period the positive reception internationally of the accomplished work has resulted, on one hand, in the successful intensification of all respective efforts and, on the other hand, in a break-through regarding the accessibility of new sources that were as yet inaccessible and that are of inestimable import for the development of the research field. The edition of the only surviving biography of the first great Tibetan epistemologist is in print, and an extensive study of the Buddhist polemics against the proof of a creator god, as well as a volume of papers on the function of the example in Indian logic have appeared. Likewise, a large number of pertinent articles on various topics of the tradition and its context of ideas have appeared in national and international journals and collected volumes. The major team-work of the diplomatic and critical edition of Jinendrabuddhi`s Pramanasamuccayatika, 1st chapter (perception), has been finished and will be published at the beginning of 2005 in Beijing. Also the critical edition with German translation of Jnanasrimitra`s Ksanabhangadhyaya, 1st chapter, has been finished. Most of the other endeavours in the project have been steadily progressing. In January 2004 the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) signed an agreement of cooperation with the China Tibetology Research Centre, Beijing, (CTRC), opening scholarly access to the Sanskrit manuscripts still existent in the PR China for the first time, and providing a joint venture between the publishing houses of the ÖAW and the CTRC to publish the resultant editions in Beijing. An initial sub-agreement signed in June 2004 has determined the following texts to be the first objects of this cooperation: Jinendrabuddhi`s Pramanasamuccayatika, Dharmakirti`s Hetubindu and Pramanaviniscaya, Candrakirti`s Madhyamakavatarabhasya, and two Pancakrama-commentaries. A second cooperation agreement was signed with the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies for the production of KWIC (Key Word In Context) indexes of all new editions of Sanskrit texts from Tibet, and a relational data-bank based on the catalogue composed by Prof. Luo Zhao in 1984-85, has been implemented to describe these Sanskrit manuscripts, which will be available in an on-line form in the future. These developments in the accessibility of new sources from Tibet, the first tangible results being the discovery of original Sanskrit texts from the epistemological tradition, in particular two main works of Dharmakirti, the most important Buddhist philosopher, that until now were available only in their Tibetan translations, will have enormous consequences. In the long run, the entire range of Buddhist literature will benefit, because for ca 25-30% of the ca 4000 Sanskrit texts still extant in Tibet, the Sanskrit original has to date been unknown or unavailable. Internationally, the cultural and political meaning of this first opening step can not be overestimated, but how far its import will indeed reach is beyond the imagination of the writer of this report.