Dignagas Theory Of Direct Knowledge

Author(s): Massaki Hattori
Publisher: Massaki Hattori

Page 11

DIGNAGA'S THEORY OF DIRECT KNOWLEDGE Anyway, that which is devoid of the thought-construction thus characterised is direct knowledge. (94b, 6) For what reason, then, the direct knowledge is called 'praty-aksa' (lit. being direct to sense-organ) and not 'prati-visaya' (lit. being direct to object), despite the fact that it is caused in dependence upon both the sense-organ and the object ? V. 4ab: It is signified by the sense-organ, for the sense-organ is the specific cause of it26). It is not signified by the object, such as colour and the like. The reason is that the object is a factor common (sadharana) to other kinds of knowledge because of its being a cause of the mind (mano-vijnana) or of the knowledge of other persons (anya-samtana) too. And it is generally known that (a thing or a fact) is designated by the name of its specific component (asadharana), as for instance, we use verbal expressions 'the sound of a drum' or 'the sprout of berley' to indicate a certain sound or a sprout, instead of naming it 'the sound of hand' or 'the sprout of earth', although the hand or the earth is also a cause in each case27). 95a, 1) That direct knowledge is free from thought-construction is established (thus on the ground that it is direct to the sense-organ). It is stated in an Abhidharma treatise too that "one whose visual sense is normal perceives blue (nilam vijanati) but does not apprehend that 'this is blue' (nilam iti vijanati). Facing to an object, he perceives the object in itself (artha-sahjna) but does not form an idea (dharma-samjna) of it" 28). $ 4. VARIETIES OF DIRECT KNOWLEDGE (95a, 2) If direct knowledge be absolutely devoid of thought-construction, then whence is this (stated in the Abhidharma treatise) :-"Five kinds of perceptive function take exclusion of non-cow' (anya-apoha, -vyavrtti). It is with the mind to make his own interpretation of genus etc. explicit that Dignaga interpolated this sentence here. Some others' (anye), accordingly, are the Buddhists, cp. TSP, ad. k. 1229, p. 371, PSVT, 19a, 1. 26) VPM, p. 177: asadharana-hetutvad aksais tad vyapadisyate /4a-b. 27) cp. Abhidharmakosa, Taisho, XXIX, p. 12b, 18-C, 2: Lit*iu prit ER ...... p # (ato'sadharanatvac ca tair eva nirdisyate)...... XXX LUX (anya-caksur-vijnanasyapi) RO H .... ZB R . (yatha bheri-sabdo yavankurah). Sanskrt is quoted from AKV, p. 87, 13ff. Candrakirti refers to this discussion after criticizing Dignaga's etymological expalanation of pratyaksa, cp. Prasannapada, p. 72. 28) cp. Prasannapada, p. 74. This quotation, says Stcherbatsky, could prove that Dignaga's theory of pratyaksa is foreshadowed in previous Sautrantika works, cp. The Conception of Buddhist Nirvana, p. 162, note 3.