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In
The Tattvasamgraha of Santaraksita, Charles Goodman translates chapters from the
Tattvasamgraha that deal with fundamental philosophical issues like the existence or nonexistence of God and the soul and the compatibility of beliefs about karma with Buddhism's fundamental claim that there is no self. Goodman's introductory chapters discuss translation choices and explain the arguments and reasoning employed by the
Tattvasamgraha's original authors, Santaraksita and Kamalasila.
List of contents
- List of Abbreviations
- Introduction: Methods of Reasoning in the Tattvasamgraha
- Note on the Translation: The Tattvasamgraha of Santaraksita with commentary by Kamalasila
- I. An Inquiry about Prime Matter
- (Prakrti- pariksa)
- II. An Inquiry about God
- (Isvara- pariksa)
- III. Part 1. An Inquiry about the Soul as Postulated by the Nyaya- Vaisesikas
- (Nyaya- vaisesika- parikalpita- atma- pariksa)
- IV. Part 2. An Inquiry about the Soul as Postulated by the Mimamsakas
- (Mimamsaka- parikalpita- atma- pariksa)
- V. Part 3. An Inquiry about the Soul as Postulated by the Followers of Kapila
- (Kapila- parikalpita- atma- pariksa)
- VI. Part 4. An Inquiry about the Soul as Postulated by the Sky- Clad
- (Digambara- parikalpita- atma- pariksa)
- VII. Part 5. An Inquiry about the Soul as Postulated by the Followers of the Upanisads
- (Aupanisadika- parikalpita- atma- pariksa)
- VIII. Part 6. An Inquiry about the Soul as Postulated by the Vatsiputriyas
- (Vatsiputriya- parikalpita- atma- pariksa)
- IX. An Inquiry about the Relation between Action and Its Results
- (Karma- phala- sambandha- pariksa)
- Translated with Wenli Fan
- XX. An Inquiry about Perspectivalism
- (Syadvada- pariksa)
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
About the author
Charles Goodman is a professor in the Philosophy Department and the Department of Asian and Asian-American Studies at Binghamton University. He has published articles on Buddhist philosophy and on applied ethics, as well as translations from Sanskrit. He is the author of Consequences of Compassion: An Interpretation and Defense of Buddhist Ethics and the translator of The Training Anthology of Santideva.
Summary
The Tattvasamgraha, or Encyclopedia of Metaphysics, is the most influential and frequently studied philosophical text from the late period of Indian Buddhism. Its authors-Santaraksita and his commentator and student, Kamalasila-both played key roles in founding the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. In the Tattvasamgraha, they explain, discuss, and critique a range of views from across the South Asian philosophical and religious spectrum, including ideas drawn from Buddhism, Jainism, and traditions now incorporated into Hinduism. The Tattvasamgraha also includes the earliest discussion of Advaita Vedanta in any Buddhist text.
In The Tattvasamgraha of Santaraksita, Charles Goodman translates chapters of the text that deal with fundamental philosophical issues like the existence or nonexistence of God and the soul; the nature of matter and causal relationships; the connection between words and their referents; rules of logic; sources of human knowledge; and the compatibility of beliefs about karma with Buddhism's fundamental claim that there is no self. Goodman's introductory chapters discuss translation choices and explain the arguments and reasoning employed by the Tattvasamgraha's original authors.
Together, Goodman's accessible translations and introductory chapters give readers an ideal way to familiarize themselves with the argumentative methods and logical principles of Buddhist epistemology, as well as the intellectual and cultural context of Buddhist philosophy.
