Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge c3.7

c3.7

Our findings about the Early Buddhist theory of knowledge are based primarily on the source material afforded by the Pāli Canon, studied historically and philosophically in the light of the contemporary, earlier and later literary evidence bearing on the subject The literary, linguistic, ideological, sociological and historical evidence still points to the high antiquity and authenticity of the Pāli Canon¹, although what we learn from it about Early Buddhism may have to be supplemented and, perhaps, even modified at times in the light of what we can glean from the other literary traditions of Buddhism². We may refer here to the recent opinion of a student of religion, Dr Robert H Thouless, who says that 'it seems more likely that Hīnayāna was Buddhism as originally taught and the Mahāyāna was a product of development and conventionalisation'³.