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DIŃNAGA ON TRDCALA-PARiK$A : AN EXPLORATION INTO SOME AVENUES... 129

spatio-temporality, too, seem lo be irrelevanl for the purpose, as the naturę of the real, as it is, cań hardly be said to be delermined by them. Though they may be found useful in explicating uncritical modes which we seem to be prone to adopt in our epistemology, together with the sort of logie and language in common-sensical enterprise commensurate with it, they could hardly be said to be determined by the things as they are and our appropriate knowledge of them. DińnSga seems to be grappling with such issues in T.P., without putting forth explicitly any symptomatic characterization of what he takes to be real, ²⁴ perhaps because his thought along this linę had not become crystallised when he wrote the work under consideration.

Another important consideration with regard to the study of T.P. seems to be that Dińńga here appears to be inclined towards the doctrine of PramSna - viplava, ²⁵ another important doctrine of Buddhism, which is morę clearly articulatcd in his other writings. But whatever clues conceming it, which seem to be available in T.P. appear to hint in the direction of the conceptual growth of Dihnaga.

It, thus, seems to us that there are three stages in the conceptual growth of DińnSga, viz., inilial subscription lo phenomenalism under Vasubandhu’s influence, the middle dissatisfaction with it together with search for originality and novelty coupled with skepticism, and the finał adoption of nominalism, ralher than a sudden shift from phenomenalism lo nominalism as emphasised by some.²⁶ Thus understood, contribution of his minor works in accomplishing his conceptual growth can hardly be neglecled or overlookcd.

Gcnerally scholars pay attention to major works o! a philosopher and morę or less ncglect the minor ones. Somclhing of this kind also seems to have happencd in the case of Dińnaga. It is, nonetheless, important lo notę that his minor works are neither unimporlant in comprehending the conceptual framework of his philosophy, nor irrelevant in properly marking stages of his conceptual growth. This being the case, it is our humble plea that the contribution which his minor works like T.P. make on both the above-mcntioncd counts also needs to be laken into consideration and hence their serious study is called for. This is because the clues direct or indirect, primary or secondary, which may become available from their study are likely to enrich and widen our proper understanding of his maturę works - the Pram&na-samuccaya and his auto-commentary on it.

Notes and References

1- Also could be rendered as TraikśJya - parfkęa.

2. We havc bcen given ditTerent lisls of the writings of Dińn<Lga. However, it seems, the following of them are common, viz., Prajńś-pźramitź-pindźrtha-saiiigraha, Abhidharmakośa-yfUimarmapradfpa, Yogśvatśra, HastavaJa-prakarana, UpZdaya -prajflapti -prakarana, A Jam bana -pariksZ (Svavrtti), Trikś/a parikęa, Sźmśnya - laksana