Most striking about the title Authenticity of Open Awareness: A Collection of the Essential Reasonings (gTan tshigs gal mdo rig pa'i tshad ma) is its inclusion of key terms from two prominent and radically disparate streams of discourse. This book shows that tshad ma, the Tibetan translation of the classic term pramāna, most literally means “measure” in the sense of applying an authoritative standard. To take the authentic, valid, or correct measure of an object is to know it authentically. A mind capable of taking the correct measure of its object, whether through direct perception or...

Most striking about the title Authenticity of Open Awareness: A Collection of the Essential Reasonings (gTan tshigs gal mdo rig pa'i tshad ma) is its inclusion of key terms from two prominent and radically disparate streams of discourse. This book shows that tshad ma, the Tibetan translation of the classic term pramāna, most literally means “measure” in the sense of applying an authoritative standard. To take the authentic, valid, or correct measure of an object is to know it authentically. A mind capable of taking the correct measure of its object, whether through direct perception or correct reasoning, is a valid, authentic mind. To validate or authenticate is a key concept in Buddhist epistemology and central to the thought of Dignāga and Dharmakīrti.