Abstract :
The Pratyabhijñā system, elaborated in the tenth and eleventh centuries by
the Kashmiri philosophers Utpaladeva and Abhinavagupta, presents a
rational justification of the metaphysical principles contained in the
Śaiva nondualistic scriptures. However, contrary to what one might expect,
many arguments to which Utpaladeva and Abhinavagupta resort when
defending their idealism belong to Buddhist rather than Śaiva sources.
This article examines the profound influence, in this respect, of the
Buddhist “logico-epistemological school” on the Pratyabhijñā system.
But it also shows that Utpaladeva and Abhinavagupta are not unknowingly
or unwittingly influenced by their Buddhist opponents: they systematically
emphasize this influence, thus taking full responsibility for appropriating
their rivals’ concepts. Moreover, they highlight their fundamental divergence
regarding the way consciousness manifests a seemingly external
and diverse universe, most notably by replacing the Vijñānavādins’ traditional
analogy: according to the Śaivas, perceived objects should not
be compared to dreamt objects, but to yogins’ creations.
