Bhavivikta Explained

Bhavivikta (c. 520-580 AD) was an Indian commentator and logician of the Nyaya School. He is mentioned by the Buddhist writer Santaraksita as one of the major rivals of Dharmakirti.^[1] He is said to have written a commentary on a Nyayabhasya, presumably Vatsyayana’s.

Views

The views which are attributed to him by Santaraksita are the following:^{[2] [3]}

• Since the ego-making faculty (ahamkara) is self-cognizable, the self is perceptible and can be proved thereby.
• We can sometimes perceive substances without their qualities, e.g., in a shady place.
• There is a distinct category of universals. Universals are the causes of names and concepts, and they are spoken about and known in a different way from individuals.
• A view on perception.
• The "reaffirmation" (upanaya) is an indispensable member of the inference pattern.
• A view on the prakaranasama fallacy.

Notes and References

1. Book: Solomon, Esther A.. Trilocana — A Forgotten Naiyāyika. 2020-05-18. De Gruyter. 978-3-11-232094-5. en. 10.1515/9783112320945-093/html.
2. Book: The Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies.
3. 邦男. 菱田. 1976. On "samanya" introduced in the Tattvasamgraha. 印度學佛教學研究. 25. 1. 499–494. 10.4259/ibk.25.499. free.