ABSTRACT
Here in his commentary on the Brahma Siitra, just prior to his criticism of Buddhism, he criticizes the Vaise~ika school and characterizes it as 'seminihilism' (ardhavaintiSikll). In this connection he defines Buddhism as a whole as 'the doctrine which asserts the nihilism of everything' (sarvavainaSikllrtiddhanta). Then, as I have pointed out elsewhere, he makes an attempt at 'critical classification of the Buddhist doctrines', on the criterion of what is asserted as real or, in other words, from his ontological point of view, and criticizes the following three different types of Buddhist propounders: (1) 'the Buddhist who asserts the real existence of everything' (Sarvtistitvavtidin), (2) 'the Buddhist who asserts the real existence of Vijiiana, i.e. Consciousness' (Vijflanastitvavadin) and (3) 'the Buddhist who asserts the emptiness of everything' (Sarvasanyatvawidin), not to mention 'the Buddhist who asserts the emptiness of everything', 'the Buddhist who asserts the real existence of consciousness', as well as 'the Buddhist who asserts the real existence of everything' commonly advocate 'the doctrine of entities having but momentary existence' (k~anabha1iga). 2 Therefore, in Satikara's understanding, Buddhism as a whole is a doctrine which asserts total nihilism.
