ABSTRACT
BUDDHISM profoundly influenced the philosophy and religion of India for over a thousand years. It was a challenge to complacency and a call for renouncing dogmatism. It adopted the method of critical analysis (vibhajyavāda) from the very outset. 1 Buddhism occupies the central position in the development of Indian philosophy. Brāhmanical and Jaina systems grew under the direct stimulus of Buddhism. Schools and sub-schools sprang up without number. Doctrines were systematised and details were worked out under this pressure. Great attention came to be paid to logic and epistemology. Precise terminology was evolved, and an immense śāstra-literature came into being. Indian philosophy became critical and richer; it gained in depth and comprehension.
