KUNST, Arnold. 23.7.1903 — London ?.12.1981. Polish Indologist in the U.K. After gymnasium in Lwów (L’viv) studies at local university (M.A. 1929 under Stasiak), then at Vienna (Frauwallner) and Warsaw (Schayer). Ph.D. 1934 Warsaw in Indian philosophy. In 1929-32 Assistant Lecturer at Lwów (L’viv). Little before war (1939) moved to London and became Lecturer at S.O.A.S., in 1945-47 Senior Lecturer there, in Buddhism and Indian Philosophy. In 1947-63 in service of the U.N. at its headquarters in New York, dealing with non-selfgoverning territories in the Trusteeship Department, travelled much in Asia. In 1963 he returned to his Lecturership at S.O.A.S. and retired in 197?. Also visiting Lecturer in Sanskrit at Cambridge.
Kunst was a specialist of Buddhist logic, especially of Kamalaśīla and Nāgārjuna, in his later years also interested in early Indian thought (Upaniṣads). Among his students was D. Killingley.
Publications: Diss. in Polish 1934, transl. and publ. as Probleme der Buddhistischen Logik in der Darstellung des Tattvasaṁgraha. 9+145 p. Po. Akad. Umiej., Kom. Or. 33. Kraków 1939.
– “An Overlooked type of Interference”, BSOAS 10, 1942, 976-991; “The two-membered syllogism”, RO 15, 1939-49, 72-83; “The concept of the Principle of Excluded Middle in Buddhism”, RO 21, 1957, 141-147.
– “Kamalaśīla’s Pañjikā partly translated from Tibetan”, Mél. ch. & bouddh. 8, 1946-47, 106-211; edited (in Tibetan) with E. H. Johnston: “Kamalaśīla’s Pañjikā on Anumāna chapter of Tattvasaṁgraha”, Mél. ch. & bouddh. 9, 1947, 106-216.
– Edited with E. H. Johnston: “Nāgārjuna’s Vigrahavyāvarttāni”, Mél. ch. & bouddh. 9, 1951, 99-152, republ. in: Vigrahavyavartani. The dialectical method of Nagarjuna. Transl. from Sanskrit with introd. and notes by K. Bhattacharya. Text critically ed. by E. H. J. and A. K. 53+54 p. Delhi 1978.
– “Some notes on the interpretation of the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad”, BSOAS 31, 1968, 309-314; “Indeterminism versus determinism (the seventh Prapāṭhaka of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad)”, OC 29, Paris 1976, 367-373 & JRAS 1976, 67-72.
– “Somatism: a basic concept in India’s philosophical speculations”, PhilE&W 1968, 261-275; “Indeterminism versus determinism (the seventh Prapāṭhaka of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad)”, OC 29, Paris 1976, 367-373 & JRAS 1976, 67-72; “Man – the creator”, JIPh 4, 1976, 51-68.
– “Some aspects of the Ekayāna”, Fs. Conze 1977, 316-326; “Use and misuse of Dharma”, O’Flaherty & Derrett (ed.), The Concept of Duty in South Asia. 1978, 3-17; “Some of the polemics in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra”, Fs. W. Rahula 1980, 103-112.
– A few further articles, e.g. BSOAS 31, 1968, 309-314 (on Śvet.-Up.).
Sources: D. Seyfort Ruegg, JIPh 11, 1983, 3-5; Dir. Am. Sch. 3rd & 4th editions; *Pali Buddhist Review 6, 1981-82, 49f. (in obituaries.doc).
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