Ways of knowing (Buddhism)

There is a uniform system of education used in the Buddhist monasteries of Tibet through which novices, who start learning at the age of eight years, receive their Geshe degree when they are at least 25 years old. The system aims to prepare the novices to think for themselves and to develop to their full potentials. Each monastery uses different books and provides different explanations as a spur to further debate and developing the novices to become great teachers, progressing on the path to enlightenment and helping others on the same path.

The first class is collected definitions (Dura) when, having learned definitions, students pair off and debate among themselves the implications, defence and possible refutations. Having learned the fundamentals of debating they enter the second class at the age of nine or ten; this is on ways of knowing (Lo-rig). The third class is on ways of reasoning (Tag-rig), and on completion of this class they approach the five primary subjects for the degree, having by this time memorized all the major texts. These are: (1) The perfection of discriminating awareness, [prajnaparamita]

. (2) The middle way, [madhyamaka]

. (3) Validity, [pramana]

. (4) Laws, [vinaya]

. (5) General knowledge, [abhidharma]

.

The ways of knowing as studied in the second class and are memorized in such a way as to make clear the most important definitions and divisions for use in debate. They are divided into valid and invalid ways of knowing.