Bhavavivekas

Bhavaviveka (fl. 5th–6th century CE), also spelled Bhavaviveka, was an Indian Buddhist monk and philosopher in the Madhyamaka tradition. He is one of the earliest and most influential proponents of the Svatantrika sub-school of Madhyamaka, which argues for the use of independent logical syllogisms (svatantra) to establish the emptiness of phenomena, alongside the central Madhyamaka claim of emptiness.

His principal work, Pramāṇaviniścaya (Clarifications on Valid Cognition), presents a systematic analysis of means of knowledge (pramana) and defends a method of using svatantra syllogisms within a Madhyamaka framework. In contrast to the later Prasaṅgika approach, which relies on reductio arguments from consequences, Bhavaviveka maintains that valid knowledge is established through conventional pramanas and logically valid syllogisms, which still accord with the ultimate view of emptiness. He thus articulates a defense of rational epistemology in Mahāyāna philosophy and outlines a method for disputation with opponents.

Bhavaviveka's thought profoundly shaped subsequent Indian Madhyamaka and Tibetan scholasticism. His Svatantrika approach influenced Śāntarakṣita and Kamalasila, and through them the Tibetan Buddhist schools, particularly the Gelug school, which treats svatantrika and prasanga as complementary strands. The precise dating and attribution of some works are debated, but Bhavaviveka's Pramāṇaviniścaya remains a central reference for Svatantrika-Madhyamika.