Abstract
The little versified treatise on the elements of Buddhist logic, often referred to as the Hetucakraḍamaru, is usually attributed to Dignāga. It is only available in a Tibetan translation and quotations from a few of its verses are extant in Sanskrit sources. On the basis of a novel interpretation that is based on a critical edition of the text, we argue that there is a good reason why its title was Hetucakraḍamaru - a ḍamaru is a two-headed drum. The “heads” of the drum are circular and they refer to the sapakṣa and vipakṣa conditions of the logical reason (hetu). These “wheels” can be turned clock-wise and counter clock-wise. The nine positions that are located on the wheels do remind one of a dharmacakra, which has a center and eight positions that are placed around it as if it were a compass. We illustrate our interpretation of the text by means of various diagrams.
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c Co ne Bstan ’gyur, tbrc.org., W1GS66030
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Dedicated to the memory of Lü Cheng 吕瀓 (1896–1989), one of the great scholars of Buddhism.
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He, H., van der Kuijp, L.W.J. Once Again on the *Hetucakraḍamaru: Rotating the Wheels. J Indian Philos 44, 267–302 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10781-014-9263-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10781-014-9263-2