Dharmakirti Quotes
Dharmakirti was an Indian Buddhist philosopher who completed and transformed the logical and epistemological tradition founded by Dignaga. His seven treatises, including the Pramana-varttika, develop a sophisticated philosophy of knowledge centered on the thesis that what is real is what is causally efficient. The quotes below are attributed to Dharmakirti, organized by topic.
Dharmakirti on Knowledge
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Attributed to Dharmakirti:
“Inference depends on a relation of necessary connection.”
Dharmakirti on Love
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Attributed to Dharmakirti:
“Compassion, when sustained by understanding, becomes the path to liberation.”
Dharmakirti on Nature
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Attributed to Dharmakirti:
“All conditioned things are momentary.”
Dharmakirti on Truth
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Attributed to Dharmakirti:
“What is real is what is causally efficient.”
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Attributed to Dharmakirti:
“The valid means of cognition reveal what is, not what merely seems.”