PRACTICE AND THEORY OF PHILOSOPHICAL DEBATE IN TIBETAN BUDDHIST EDUCATION.

摘要

This dissertation focuses on the practice and theory of introductory Buddhist logic and epistemology as found in the Ge-luk-ba (dGe-lugs-pa) order of Tibetan Buddhism. An essential prerequisite in Tibetan philosophical studies is ascertainment of the procedure in debate, for debate is the investigative technique used throughout Tibetan education to lead students into Buddhist philosophy and to increase their sharpness and analytical capacities. Also, since a significant part of the Tibetan commentarial tradition incorporates the debate style as the principal means of explaining philosophy, in order to understand the various philosophical stances in Tibetan religious studies it is essential to apprehend the procedure in debate.;This dissertation takes as its basis a translation of "The Introductory Path of Reasoning" (Rigs lam chung ngu) in The Presentation of Collected Topics Revealing the Meaning of the Texts on Valid Cognition, the Magical Key to the Path of Reasoning (Tshad ma'i gzhung don 'byed pa'i bsdus grva'i rnam bzhag rigs lam 'phrul gyi lde mig), composed by Pur-bu-jok Jam-ba-gya-tso (Phur-bu-jok Byams-pa-rgya-mtsho, 1825-1901). Using this debate manual as the focus, the dissertation covers the content and procedure in beginning debate and contextualizes this technique with a view toward its educational efficacy and religious significance. The translation is supplied with annotations on procedure and content drawn from the oral explanations of Tibetan teachers expert in debate. Beyond comparatively reporting Tibetan traditions, the final section of the dissertation relates the Tibetan system to the categorical logic of Aristotle, explicates the logic through the use of Euler diagrams, and describes the predication theory implied in the Tibetan debate manuals through the use of John Stuart Mill's theory of naming.