Pramanasamuccaya

The Pramāṇasamuccaya is a foundational work of Buddhist logic authored by Dignāga, a Buddhist logician who lived around the 5th century CE. This text redefined "perception" as knowledge devoid of conceptual constructs, essentially equating it with pure sensation. Dignāga also detailed a theory of inference, distinguishing between inference for oneself and for others. He established three criteria for a valid middle term in logical arguments: it must be present in the subject, present in similar instances, and absent in dissimilar instances. His work, Hetucakra, further categorized middle terms, identifying those that lead to valid, contradictory, or uncertain conclusions. Dignāga's logical tradition was later advanced by Dharmakīrti in the 7th century.1