[Buddha-l] Mereological nihilism

Wong Weng Fai wongwf at comp.nus.edu.sg
Sun Apr 20 17:49:47 MDT 2008


Stumbled upon the following para under Transcendental Idealism in 
Wikipedia...

>Some interpretations of some of the medieval Buddhists of India, such as 
>Dharmakirti, may reveal them to be transcendental idealists, since they 
>seemed to hold the position of mereological nihilism but where minds are 
>distinct from the atoms. Some Buddhists often attempt to maintain that 
>the minds are equal to the atoms of mereological nihilist reality, but 
>Buddhists seem to have no explanation of how this is the case, and much of 
>the literature on the aforementioned Buddhists involves straightforward 
>discussion of atoms and minds as if they are separate. This makes their 
>position very similar to transcendental idealism, resembling Kant's 
>philosophy where there are only things-in-themselves (which are very much 
>like philosophical atoms), and phenomenal properties.

Is it just Dharmakirti or isn't all of Buddhism mereological nihilistic?

Also "Some Buddhists often attempt to maintain that the minds are equal to 
the atoms of mereological nihilist reality"? Really? Who? Sarvastivadins?

Weng-Fai



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