Abstract:
This thesis is about the theory of perception propounded by Dignaga, a Buddhist
thinker in India, in the medieval era (circa A.D. 480-5401). He defines perception as
"cognition free from conceptual construction." To figure out how this statement
should be understood is our main task.
My main thesis is this:
In Dignaga's theory, perception is primarily the concept-free state of mind obtained by some
effort, quite likely a meditative one, based on an idealistic view of reality.