Evidence (Skt. प्रमाण Pramana) is the valid means or instrument by which true knowledge is obtained and distinguished from ignorance on the path of knowledge.

Valid Means of Evidence

To establish any statement or claim as truth, the path of knowledge recognizes only two valid, consistent, and undeniable sources of evidence:

1. Direct Experience (Pratyaksha): Immediate perception through the purified senses (or instruments that augment them). This is the highest form of evidence and requires no further proof.

1. Sound Logic (Anumana): Rational and consistent logical inference that is firmly founded on a direct experience. Logic without an experiential foundation produces only abstract fantasies and beliefs.

Invalid Evidence

The path of knowledge actively rejects several traditional forms of evidence as invalid and untrustworthy:

• Books and Scriptures: Books are merely written accounts of someone else's experiences and must always be verified directly. They can contain errors, translation mistakes, or deliberate distortions.

• The Word of Teachers: A teacher is an initial guide, not an absolute authority. If the teacher does not point you toward your own direct experience and sound logic, their words cannot be accepted as evidence.

• Democratic Agreement: Something does not become true or constitute evidence simply because a majority of the masses or ancient traditions believe it to be so.

See also

Means of knowledge, direct experience, logic, knowledge, ignorance, truth.