Toh 4351A Treatise on Linguistics
Pāli / Sanskrit:Śabdaśāstra
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An Exposition of the Śabdaśāstra (Treatise on Language)
Background
The Śabdaśāstra, or “Treatise on Language,” is a work on the philosophy of language of profound value within the Northern Mahayana Canonical Tradition. This work appears in the Tengyur—the collection of treatises and commentaries on the Buddha Dharma translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan. Its focus on the question of language (śabda) is not a departure from Buddhism, but a field of profound inquiry within Buddhist doctrine, especially among the schools of thought of the Northern Canonical Tradition.
From the Buddhist perspective, language is not merely an ordinary instrument of communication. It is a bridge between the human mind and reality. In the Mahayana context, language is regarded as a field capable of leading to profound understanding of the nature of mind, consciousness, and phenomena (dharmāḥ). This work reflects the conjunction of Indian philosophy (Ānvīkṣikī) and the foundations of the Buddha Dharma.
Main Content
The Treatise on Language explores the relationship among written characters (lipi), sound (śabda), meaning (artha), and mind (citta). These are central questions that scholars of the Northern Canonical Tradition, especially followers of the Gelug and Nyingma schools, have debated in great depth.
This work examines how language reflects reality. According to Mahayana Buddhism, language is formed through habit (abhyāsa) and social convention (saṃketī), yet it can also serve as a means of revealing truth. The theory of the Śabdaśāstra neither maintains that language is entirely fabricated nor claims that it directly reflects ultimate reality. Instead, it possesses value as a skillful means (upāya) on the path of practice.
A key issue is the relationship between a linguistic sign and that which it designates (abhidheyavastu). In the context of Buddhist philosophy, especially Madhyamaka and Yogācāra, this question leads to an analysis of emptiness (śūnyatā) and dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda).
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