Haribhadra

views updated May 14 2018

Haribhadra, also known as Siṃhabhadra (late 8th cent. CE). Indian Buddhist philosopher, a pupil of Śāntarakṣita. A very important commentator on all aspects of Mahāyāna śāstra, his work presupposes knowledge of the Pramāṇa school and of the Abhidharma-kośa. His school flourished during the reigns of the Pāla emperors Dharmapāla and Devapāla (c.765–850). His principal works are the Small Commentary (Sphuṭārtha) and the Great Commentary (Āloka) on the Abhisamayālaṃkāra of Maitreya, and commentaries on all the major works of the Prajñāpāramitā (Perfection of Wisdom) corpus, all of which are still indispensable materials for study in Tibetan monastic institutions.

Haribhadra

views updated Jun 27 2018

Haribhadra (d. trad. 529 CE, perhaps later). Śvetāmbara Jain philosopher and teacher. Much about his life is uncertain, and indeed the accounts of other teachers of the same name may have been assimilated to him. He is said to have been a brahman of great learning who was converted by a Jain nun, Yākinī, from whom he took the title of Yākinīputra (‘spiritual son of Yākinī’). A second title (perhaps indicating a second person) is Virahāṅka (‘having the mark of separation’), referring to his separation from two nephews who had undertaken surreptitious instruction from Buddhists. More than 14,000 works are attributed to him, and although many of these may be by others of the same name, the ‘name’ remains as a mark of the highest philosophical achievement and is still revered.