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Siddhānta (Devanagari:सिद्धान्तlit. 'established end'[1]) is aSanskrit term denoting the established and accepted view of any particular school withinIndian philosophy; literally "settled opinion or doctrine, dogma, axiom, received or admitted truth; any fixed or established or canonical text-book on any subject" (fromsiddha, adj. mfn.- accomplished, fulfilled; that has attained the highest object, thoroughly skilled or versed in).[2]
This term is an established term withinHindu philosophy which denotes a specific line of development within aHindu religious or philosophical tradition. The traditional schools of Hindu philosophy have had theirsiddhāntas established by their respective founders in the form ofsūtras (aphorisms). Thesūtras are commented by a major philosopher in the respective traditions to elaborate upon the established doctrine by quoting fromtheśāstras (scriptures) and using logic andpramāṇas (accepted source of knowledge). For example, in the tradition ofVedanta, the author of theBrahma Sūtra wasVeda-Vyāsa and the commentators wereĀdi Śaṅkara,Rāmānuja andMādhavācārya (each of whom eventually set up sub-schools within Vedānta). Also, in the tradition ofPūrva Mīmāṁsā, the author of thesūtra wasJaimini and the commentator wasŚabarasvāmi.
Siddhānta (Tibetan:grub mtha') is a genre ofBuddhist literature, which is quite common inTibetan Buddhism.[3] This genre has its antecedents in Pali suttas such as theTevijja sutta and theBrahmajala sutta. These early Buddhist sources discuss the various worldviews ofbrahmins,sramanas andascetics during the Buddha's time.[4] Buddhist scholastic literature later expanded the discussion to numerous other Buddhist and non-Buddhist views. Indian works which discuss various competing doctrines include theKathavatthu, theMahavibhasa,Bhaviveka'sBlaze of Reasoning andShantaraksita'sTattvasamgraha.[3]
Tibetan Buddhists developed the genre further and numeroussiddhānta works were written by figures such asRongzompa,Chekawa Yeshe Dorje,Sakya Pandita,Longchenpa,Jamyang Shéba, andChangkya Rölpé Dorjé.[3] According to Daniel Cozort, Jamyang's massiveGreat Exposition of Tenets "are the most comprehensive of the tenets texts" (in Tibetan Buddhism).[5] During the 18th century, Thuken Losang Chökyi Nyima (1737–1802), a student of Changkya, wroteCrystal Mirror of Philosophical Systems. According to Roger R. Jackson, this text is "arguably the widest-ranging account of religious philosophies ever written in pre-modern Tibet." This work discusses all schools of Tibetan Buddhism,Chinese Buddhism andChinese religions as well asIndian,Mongolian andKhotanese religious systems.[6]
ForJainism,the texts vary between the three primary sects, withSthanakavasis believing in no textual authority. Both theDigambara andŚvetāmbara believe that the "purest" Jain teachings were contained within thePurvas, which have been mostly lost to antiquity. Of the surviving Jain scriptures, the Digambara tend to focus upon thePrakaranas; while theŚvetāmbara focus upon theAngas.
In Indianastronomy and astrology, Siddhanta (or Siddhantic) refers to a genre of texts that replaced the earlier tradition based on theVedanga Jyotisha. The Siddhanta ("established theory") genre emerged around the beginning of the first millennium CE. Compared to theVedanga Jyotisha, the Siddhanta texts discussed a wider range of topics including thenakshatras, thezodiac signs, precise calculations of the solar year, computations of planetary motions and positions, calculation of solar and lunar eclipses, and parallax.[7]
EarlyIndian astronomy is transmitted inSiddhantas:Varahamihira (6th century) in hisPancha-Siddhantika contrasts five of these: TheSurya Siddhanta besides thePaitamaha Siddhantas (which is more similar to the "classical"Vedanga Jyotisha), thePaulisha andRomaka Siddhantas (directly based on Hellenistic astronomy) and theVasishtha Siddhanta.