Debating Buddhists: The Abhidharmasamuccaya on Debate and Argumentation

The present dissertation is an effort to learn about argumentation and debate practices in the context of Indian religious and philosophical discourse. In particular, this effort is concentrated on the Abhidharmasamuccaya, a text commonly attributed to the Buddhist monk Asanga and dating to perhaps the fourth or early fifth century of the common era. This text has a section dedicated to a discussion of debate ("VadaVinis'caya"), which is itself composed of seven sub - sections dealing with a Variety of topics, including different types of spoken exchanges, the location of debates, matters relating to the structure of arguments, evidence and perception, the characteristics of the ideal debater, considerations to entertain when deciding whether to withdraw from the debate, and defeat in debate. Each of these topics is analyzed in depth and is put in the context of argumentation and debate practices in ancient and classical India generally, as well as more specifically within the Buddhist tradition.

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