Ming Nyaya Door '"Nyaya Drops' A Comparative Study

From an absolute Chinese historical study perspective, "Nyaya-dvara-sastra", an introduction of Buddhist logic which was written by a great Indian scholar Dignaga (about 440 AD), is one of the key works in the research field of Buddhist logic. It was translated into Chinese by a Chinese Buddhist monk, Hsuan-tsang, in Dang dynasty. While another important work of Buddhist logic, "Nyya-bindhu", composed by another Indian scholar Dharmakirti (about 640AD), was much delayed for the Chinese; its very first Chinese version didn't appear until 1940. It is this background that makes the following issues of great interest in this thesis:(1) the different frames of two works, including the meanings of two kinds of writing orders, and different emphases on the explanations on their "perception" chapters;(2) the manner in Dignaga's explanation of "three characteristics of a valid hetu" by the literal views, contrasting the approaches Chinese scholars used in the past;(3) an introduction of a semantic debate on the word "dharma of pratijna", which was differently laid in these two works;(4) a discussion on the different depictions of "the relation between the hetu and sadhyadharma" through analyzing to what extent the form of logic can be called a deduction or an analogy in these two works;(5) a critical analysis on the validity of "causation hetu", with an extending study of the accuracy of deduction in Buddhist logic;(6) Finally, a debate with professor Li-Yung-Seng and Wu-Shou-Kang on the topic of the differences between Dignaga's and Dharmakriti's opinions on the issue of "unjustifiable contradicting decision".What is concerned by this thesis may be not a fine and detail study of a particular subject but some re-judgments of a series of doubtable conclusions which were laid in the past researches of Chinese Buddhist logic. It is trying to generate a new angle and some interests to this field.