Logic & Reasoning in Buddhism

with Venerable Steve Carlier

Friday, August 7

7pm - 8:30pm

Logic is used in Buddhism to understand subtle points which are not obvious. The teachings of the Buddha are not just for us to accept on faith; we need to cultivate our own understanding of them, as well.

If you visit a Tibetan monastery, you are likely to see monks debating out in the yard at certain times of day. They are following a tradition which has survived since the days of Buddhism in ancient India. The study of reasoning was especially explained in the writings of two Indian Buddhist scholars, Dignaga and Dharmakirti, in their commentaries on Valid Cognition (Skt. Pramana); this is one of the main topics in the traditional geshe studies curriculum.

Venerable Steve Carlier (Thubten Sherab) has been a monk for 30 years, spending 11 years at Nalanda Monastery in France and 11 years Sera Jey Monastery in South India. He translates and interprets from Tibetan to English and teaches on-going classes at Land of Medicine Buddha.

In this one-evening session with Venerable Steve we will be learning about syllogisms (logical statements), and how to tell the difference between flawed logic and sound logic. This is surely an ability that can be applied to many aspects of life, and is especially important for those of us who are trying to understand the ultimate reality of things.