''Siddhānta'' is a
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...
term denoting the established and accepted view of any particular school within
Indian philosophy
Indian philosophy refers to philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent. A traditional Hindu classification divides āstika and nāstika schools of philosophy, depending on one of three alternate criteria: whether it believes the Veda ...
; literally "settled opinion or doctrine, dogma, axiom, received or admitted truth; any fixed or established or canonical text-book on any subject" (from ''siddha'', adj. mfn.- accomplished, fulfilled; that has attained the highest object, thoroughly skilled or versed in).
Hindu philosophy
This term is an established term within
Hindu philosophy
Hindu philosophy encompasses the philosophies, world views and teachings of Hinduism that emerged in Ancient India which include six systems ('' shad-darśana'') – Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta.Andrew Nicholson ...
which denotes a specific line of development within a
Hindu religious or philosophical tradition. The traditional schools of Hindu philosophy have had their ''siddhạntas'' established by their respective founders in the form of
''sūtras'' (aphorisms). The ''sūtras'' are commented by a major philosopher in the respective traditions to elaborate upon the established doctrine by quoting from
the ''śāstras'' (scriptures) and using logic and
pramāṇas (accepted source of knowledge). For example, in the tradition of
Vedanta
''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, ...
, the author of the
Brahma Sūtra was
Veda-Vyāsa and the commentators were
Ādi Śaṅkara,
Rāmānuja
Ramanuja (Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmanuja; 1017 CE – 1137 CE; ; ), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and a social reformer. He is noted to be one of the most important exponents ...
and
Mādhavācārya (each of whom eventually set up sub-schools within Vedānta). Also, in the tradition of
''Pūrva Mīmāṁsā'', the author of the ''sūtra'' was
Jaimini
Sage Jaimini was an ancient Indian scholar who founded the Mīmāṃsā school of Hindu philosophy. He is considered to be a disciple of Rishi/Sage Veda Vyasa, the son of Parāśara Rishi. Traditionally attributed to be the author of the '' Mi ...
and the commentator was
Śabarasvāmi.
Buddhist philosophy
''Siddhānta (
Tibetan: grub mtha')'' is a genre of
Buddhist literature
Buddhist texts are those religious texts which belong to the Buddhist tradition. The earliest Buddhist texts were not committed to writing until some centuries after the death of Gautama Buddha. The oldest surviving Buddhist manuscripts a ...
, which is quite common in
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in maj ...
.
[Changkya Rölpai Dorjé; Lopez, Donald (translator) (2019). ''Beautiful Adornment of Mount Meru'', Translator's Introduction. Simon and Schuster.] This genre has its antecedents in Pali suttas such as the ''
Tevijja sutta'' and the ''
Brahmajala sutta.'' These early Buddhist sources discuss the various worldviews of
brahmins
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...
,
sramanas and
ascetics
Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...
during the Buddha's time. Buddhist scholastic literature later expanded the discussion to numerous other Buddhist and non-Buddhist views. Indian works which discuss various competing doctrines include the ''
Kathavatthu'', the ''
Mahavibhasa'',
Bhaviveka's ''Blaze of Reasoning'' and
Shantaraksita's ''
Tattvasamgraha''.
Tibetan Buddhists
Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...
developed the genre further and numerous ''siddhānta'' works were written by figures such as
Rongzompa,
Chekawa Yeshe Dorje,
Sakya Pandita,
Longchenpa
Longchen Rabjam Drimé Özer (), commonly abbreviated to Longchenpa (1308–1364, an honorific meaning "The Vast Expanse") was a Tibetan scholar-yogi of the Nyingma school ('Old School') of Tibetan Buddhism. According to tibetologist David Ge ...
,
Jamyang Shéba, and
Changkya Rölpé Dorjé.
According to Daniel Cozort, Jamyang's massive ''Great Exposition of Tenets'' "are the most comprehensive of the tenets texts" (in Tibetan Buddhism). During the 18th century, Thuken Losang Chökyi Nyima (1737–1802), a student of Changkya, wrote ''Crystal Mirror of Philosophical Systems.'' According to Roger R. Jackson, this text is "arguably the widest-ranging account of religious philosophies ever written in pre-modern Tibet." This work discusses all schools of Tibetan Buddhism,
Chinese Buddhism
Chinese Buddhism or Han Buddhism ( zh, s=汉传佛教, t=漢傳佛教, p=Hànchuán Fójiào) is a Chinese form of Mahayana Buddhism which has shaped Chinese culture in a wide variety of areas including art, politics, literature, philosophy ...
and
Chinese religions as well as
Indian,
Mongolian and
Khotanese religious systems.
[Thuken Losang Chokyi Nyima, Jackson, Roger (editor) (2017). ''The Crystal Mirror of Philosophical Systems: A Tibetan Study of Asian Religious Thought.'' Simon and Schuster.]
Jain philosophycal studies
For
Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
,
the texts vary between the three primary sects, with
Sthanakavasis believing in no textual authority. Both the
Digambara
''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being '' Śvētāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing n ...
and
Shvetambara believe that the "purest" Jain teachings were contained within the ''
Purvas
The Fourteen Purva translated as ancient or prior knowledge, are a large body of Jain scriptures that was preached by all Tirthankaras (omniscient teachers) of Jainism encompassing the entire gamut of knowledge available in this universe. The pers ...
'', which have been mostly lost to antiquity. Of the surviving Jain scriptures, the Digambara tend to focus upon the Prakaranas; while the Shvetambara focus upon the Angas.
Astronomy
Early
Indian astronomy
Astronomy has long history in Indian subcontinent stretching from pre-historic to modern times. Some of the earliest roots of Indian astronomy can be dated to the period of Indus Valley civilisation or earlier. Astronomy later developed as a di ...
is transmitted in ''Siddhanta''s:
Varahamihira (6th century) in his ''
Pancha-Siddhantika'' contrasts five of these: The
Surya Siddhanta besides the
Paitamaha Siddhantas (which is more similar to the "classical"
Vedanga Jyotisha), the
Paulisha and
Romaka Siddhantas (directly based on Hellenistic astronomy) and the
Vasishtha Siddhanta.
References
* Caraka samhita vimana sthana 8/37
{{Indian Philosophy
Hindu philosophical concepts
Jain philosophical concepts
Vedanta