Buddhist Idealism, Epistemic and Otherwise: Thoughts on the Alternating Perspectives of Dharmakirti

Some influential interpreters of Dharmakirti have suggested understanding his thought in terms of a 'sliding scale of analysis.' Here it is argued that this emphasis on Dharmakirti's alternating philosophical perspectives, though helpful in important respects, obscures the close connection between the two views in play (identified by later commentators as 'Sautrantika' and 'Yogacara'). Indeed, with respect to these perspectives as Dharmakirti develops them, the epistemology is the same either way. Insofar as that is right, John Dunne's characterization of Dharmakirti's Yogacara as 'epistemic idealism' may not, after all, distinguish this perspective from Sautrantika; indeed, epistemic idealism can be understood as just the view these positions share. Thus, what distinguishes the 'Yogacara' section of Dharmakirti's texts is simply his making explicit that epistemological commitments the Sautrantika does (or at least can coherently) hold are already compatible with idealism. Sautrantika and Yogacara thus differ only when one turns to the metaphysical arguments that (on the idealist's view) additionally show that only such mental things as sense data could be real.