Buddhist Dependence

Abstract

Many issues in Western philosophy were discussed with great sophistication in the Eastern philosophical traditions. A prime example of this is metaphysical dependence. This is absolutely central to Buddhist metaphysics. Indeed, there is a wide variety of views about the structure of metaphysical dependence. This paper explains some of these views and discusses some of their connections with issues in Western philosophy. Three Buddhist views, in particular, are discussed. The first is the oldest tradition, Abhidharma, which was foundationalist. The second is the Madhyamaka view, which is infinitist. The third is the Chinese Huayan view, which is coherentist. Issues from Western philosophy discussed include mereology, causation, and universals. The paper presupposes no knowledge of the history and philosophy of Buddhism.