The Vyākhyāyukti attributed to the eminent Indian scholar Vasubandhu (4th century) is one of the most important and influential śāstras or treatises produced by the Buddhist tradition. Although written by one of the pillars of the Yogācāra school, it is clear that this guide to the exegesis of Buddhist scripture was read and used by Mahāyāna Buddhists generally, regardless of doctrinal persuasion. Various translations of the title are possible, two loose renditions being The Proper Way to Compose a Commentary and Applying Reason to Exegesis. The work is lost in Sanskrit, and survives only in a Tibetan translation.
Despite being the subject of several studies, the Vyākhyāyukti has not yet been translated into English in its entirety; it is by no means an easy text. This invitation-only symposium will be devoted to a sustained review and discussion of a draft translation of all five chapters by Richard Nance under the working title The Logic of Explication. In effect it is conceived as a book manuscript workshop, in which participants will provide Professor Nance with critical feedback on his English rendition as it approaches its final form, while pooling their knowledge to arrive at a better understanding of the text as a whole.
Participants (in alphabetical order)
Bhikkunī Dhammadinnā (Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts, Taiwan)
Paul Harrison (Stanford University)
Jens-Uwe Hartmann (University of Munich, Germany)
Toshio Horiuchi (Toyo University, Japan)
David Kittelstrom (Wisdom Publications)
Sara McClintock (Emory University)
Richard Nance (Indiana University)
Peter Verhagen (Leiden University)