Dharmakīrti on Thought (Kalpanā), Language, and Reality

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explain the Dharmakīrti’s view on the relation between thought, language and reality – which is related to the Buddhist theory of meaning (Apohavāda). Diïnāga, the pre- Dharmakīrti Buddhist scholar, maintains nominalism which asserts that universal is not real, it has no reality, only the unique particular (svalakùaõa) is ultimately real (paramārthasat). According to him, word as a linguistic sign cannot refer to the reality; it refers only to the method of exclusion or the negation of others (anyāpoha). Dharmakīrti admits the above doctrine of apoha and he pays the great attention to the Buddhist epistemology, logic and ontology to develop this theory very systematically. Here, I have tried to present a new exposition of Dharmakīrti’s view on the following questions: Is there any relation between thought and language? If yes, then how can thought (kalpanā) be related to the language? And, does language refer to the reality?