________________ xvi INTRODUCTION He soon surpassed his master in the understanding of Dinnaga's system. The remaining part of his life was spent in teaching, public discussions, active propaganda and composition of works. He died in Kalinga in a monastery founded by him, surrounded by his pupils.1 According to the Tibetan tradition, Kumarila and Dharmakirti are regarded as contemporaries.2 Kumarila has refuted the views held by Dinnaga but not by Dharmakirti. Dharmakir has, on the other hand, refuted the views of Kumarila.3 This being the case, Kumarila might be supposed to be an elder contemporary of Dharmakirti. Acharya Dharmakirti is said to have been a pupil of Dharmapala, and Dharmapala is regarded as a pupil of Vasubandhu. There are two Vasubandhus : the first was born in c. 320 A.D. and died in c. 380 A.D., whereas the second one was born in c. 400 A.D. and died in c. 480 A.D. This is the view held by Prof. Frauwallner.4 Dharmapala cannot be supposed to be a pupil of Vasubandhu the first, inasmuch as Silabhadra a pupil of Dharmapala was alive in 637 A.D., when Hiuen-Tsang went to Nalanda, Acharya Dharmakirti studied logic with Isvarasena, although his religious teacher was Acharya Dharmapala. This shows that most probably Dharmapala was counting his last days when Dharmakirti became his disciple. Hiuen Tsang could see only the remains of the Buddhist monastery in Kausambi, where Dharmapala had defeated his rivals in discussions. Under these circumstances we have to hold that Dharmapala died many years before the visit of Hiuen Tsang (629-645 A.D). If we assume that the death of Vasubandhu, the teacher of Dharmapala, took place in 480 A.D., we cannot go beyond 550 A.D. as regards the death of Dharmapala himself. From this statement it follows that the time of Dharmakirti can be placed somewhere between 550-600 A.D. Granting this fact, it is not possible for Dharma 1 Stcherbatsky-Buddhist Logic, vol. I, pp. 34-35. 2 Bhattacharya--Tattva-sangraha, Intro. p. 80. 3 Pt. M. K. Jain-Akalanka-grantha-traya, Intro. p. 18. * On the Date of Vasubandhu, 1951, pp. 54-55.
