Jetari

Jitāri (or Jetāri, Tibetan Wylie: Dgra las rnam rgyal, c. latter half of the 10th century) was an influential Indian Buddhist philosopher who followed the Epistemological school of Dharmakīrti and Madhyamaka. He is considered one of the greatest panditas of the 10th century. He was the teacher of Atiśa (c. 982–1054), Ratnākaraśānti and Durvekamiśra (c. 970–1030). His father Garbhapāda attended the court of King Sanātana of Varendra, a vassal of the Pālas. Jitāri's father was a tantric guru who initiated him into Buddhist Vajrayana practices (especially that of Mañjughoṣa) as well as the study of Buddhist philosophy. Jitāri eventually became a renowned scholar and was granted the title of Paṇḍịta at Vikramaśilā university by King Mahāpāla (r. until 940 CE). Tibetan sources mention that Jitāri was a teacher of Atiśa and Ratnākaraśānti at Vikramaśilā. Refutation of Pratyabhijñā Philosophy Vādasthānāni (Grounds for Argumentation) Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi (Proof of Consciousness-only) Vedāprāmāṇyasiddhi (On the Epistemic Invalidity of the Vedas) Vyāpakānupalambha (On the Non-Perception of the Pervader) Śrutikartṛsiddhi (Proof of the Human Authorship of the Vedic Injunction) Śabdāprāmāṇya (On the Invalidity of Vedic Verbal Testimony) Sarvajñasiddhi (Proof of Omniscience) Sahopalambha (The theory of simultaneous perception of objects and knowledge) Sāmagrībhaṅga (Destruction of the Causal Complex) Hetutattvopadeśa (Instruction on the True Nature of a Reason) Verses on the Classification of Buddhist Systems and its commentary (Sugatamatavibhaṅgakārikā and Sugatamatavibhaṅgabhāṣya), a doxographic work which follows Āryadeva's Jñānasārasamuccaya.

He also wrote various Mahayana works and commentaries including: Ādikarmikabhūmipariṣkāra, a summary of the basics of the Mahayana path for neophyte bodhisattvas. Bodhyāpattideśanāvṛtti-bodhisattvaśikṣākrama-nāma, a ritual manual for confessing the breaking of bodhisattva precepts. Cittaratnaviśodhanakrama-nāma-lekha - an epistle on controlling the mind addressed to a king.

Jitāri also wrote various Vajrayana works, mostly tantric sadhanas and ritual texts on various deities like Hevajra, Candamaharosana, Avalokiteshvara, Aksobhya, Prajnaparamita, Pancaraksa, and Aparamitayus.