Overview
Dignāga (c. 480–540) founded the Buddhist pramāṇa (instruments of knowledge) tradition that reshaped Indian epistemology. His Pramāṇasamuccaya systematizes perception and inference against Nyāya and other schools.
Main ideas
Only two pramāṇas: perception (pratyakṣa) and inference (anumāna). Perception is free from conceptual construction (kalpanāpoḍha); concepts and language belong to inference’s domain. This sharp cut between non-conceptual awareness and constructed generality frames later debates from Dharmakīrti to Indo-Tibetan scholasticism.
Major works
- Pramāṇasamuccaya
- Ālambanaparīkṣā
- Hetucakra
Legacy
Dignāga set the terms for Buddhist logic and epistemology across India and Tibet; modern philosophy of mind still engages his perception/inference split.