new books

[Horst Lasic]

I am pleased to be able to announce two new books:

Horst LASIC, Jñanasrimitras Vyapticarca. San-skrit-text, Übersetzung,
Analyse. Wien: Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien,
Universität Wien,  2000. (ATS 240,- / EUR 17,44)

Horst LASIC, Ratnakirtis Vyaptinirnaya. San-skrit-text, Übersetzung,
Analyse. Wien: Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien,
Universität Wien,  2000. (ATS 120,-/ EUR 8,72)


Jñanasrimitra is an outstanding representative of the late phase of the
so-called logico-epistemological school of Buddhism in India, which goes
back to Dignaga and Dharmakirti. In a series of essays he discusses the
central topics of his tradition. Being fully acquainted with the
literature of rival Buddhist and non-Buddhist schools, Jñanasrimitra
does not only give original answers to philosophical questions, but also
provides us with a large amount of information on the historical
development of the related discussions.
In the Vyapticarca, Jñanasrimitra deals with the possibility of a
constant and therefore reliable relationship between things such as
smoke and fire, the concepts of which are intended to be used as the
logical reason and the consequence in an inference. Besides dealing with
the more technical aspects of different procedures of ascertaining the
said relationship, he also discusses topics of a more general
philosophical interest, for instance about the reality of general
properties or about the status of things useful for practical goals and
their capacity of becoming an object of cognition.

Ratnakirti was a personal pupil of Jñanasrimitra. In the Vyaptinirnaya
he deals mainly with the same questions as treated by his teacher in the
Vyapticarca, which he uses as a model for his work. Apart from some
newly introduced discussions, the most striking differences to the
Vyapticarca lie in the more tense structuring of the text, a more lucid
presentation of the different arguments, and in a shift of emphasis from
proving one's own opinion to refusing the opinions advocated by
opponents.

Both books provide
- a general introduction
- a critical edition of the text in Sanskrit
- a translation in German, including notes discussing the content and
referring to the historical settings
- an analysis of the content
- a bibliography
- various indices (among them a word index of the Sanskrit text)

Both books may be useful to persons with an interest in Buddhism and
Indian philosophy, large parts being accessible also to those not
reading German.

Copies can be orderd from:
Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien
Universitätscampus AAKH
Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 2
A-1090 Wien
Austria

Best wishes,
Horst Lasic
Institute for Asian Studies
Austrian Academy of Sciences
Strohgasse 45/2/4
A-1030 Wien
Austria