The Epistemology of Yogic Perception: Dignaga - Dharmakirti's School

One of the specific features of Indian philosophical thought in comparison with Western tradition is its addressing the subject of yogic and contemplative practices. The article focuses on the interpretation of yogic experience in terms of Buddhist epistemology (pramanavada - the teachings on the instrument of valid cognition). The concept of yogic perception (yogipratyaksha), which dates back to the Buddhist philosopher Dignaga, later becomes the subject of pan-Indian philosophical debates. The author analyzes the Buddha's teachings on the Four Noble Truths as an object of yogic perception. If, according to Dignaga, yogic perception grasps its object directly, beyond its verbal elucidation by teachers, while the Noble Truths are transmitted through the Buddha's word, the question arises as to how can they constitute the object of direct apprehension? The article proposes to understand yogic perception in the light of the three stages of understanding in Buddhism: 1) srutamayi (consisting in hearing) - the memorization from the words of teacher; 2) cintamayi (consisting in reflection) - a critical analytical discourse about the form and meaning of what was learned at the previous stage; and finally, 3) bhavanamayi (consisting in contemplation) - an individual appropriation of the ideas analyzed at the previous stage in meditation. The author argues that, according to this algorithm, only the intellectual mastering of Buddha's teachings can shape a mindset that brings forth yogic liberating insight - the goal of the Buddhist soteriological aspirations.