The Tree of Enlightenment

called an independent (svatantra) argument, and it is from this
term that the Svatantrika school got its name. One might illustrate
this method of argument by saying, ‘Entities do not originate
from themselves.’ is would be the proposition, the first socalled
member of an independent argument. en one might say,
‘is is because they exist,’ which would be the second member,
the reason of the syllogism. Next, one might say, ‘ey exist like
a jar does,’ which would be the example, and the third and final
member. By means of these three members of a syllogism, one
might demonstrate the impossibility of origination from self – the
same objective demonstrated by an argument ad absurdum.
We have, therefore, two forms of argument, a reduction and
a syllogism conforming to the rules of formal logic. Buddhapalita
and Chandrakirti are famous for their expositions championing
the reductio ad absurdum, while Bhavaviveka is famous for championing
syllogistic, independent argument. Both the Prasangika
and the Svatantrika school enjoyed considerable popularity in
India. e strength of the Svatantrika school reflected an increasing
concern with conforming to accepted standards of logic. It
was common for rival Indian philosophical schools to engage
in public debates, which tended to require arguments that met
accepted standards of validity. is led gradually to more formal
requirements of discussion and influenced the philosophical arguments
of the Middle Way school, contributing to the popularity
of the Svatantrika sub-school, which favored the use of independent
argument. is trend even led the Prasangika sub-school to
gradually refine and formalize its argument ad absurdum, so that
within the course of a few hundred years, a much more formal
presentation of the philosophy of emptiness emerged.
211