Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge c8.6

c8.6

(146) When a school of thought strongly urged the belief in survival and another vehemently denied it and both were able to adduce on the face of it equally strong arguments for their respective points of view, one becomes doubtful as to which view if at all could be true. When the Kaṭha said, 'this doubt (*vicikitsā*) there is with regard to a man deceased; "he exists" say some, "he exists not" say others' (1 1.20), it is probably echoing at least the uncertainties with regard to the problem of survival entertained by the intellectuals at that time in the presence of a school of Materialists, who strongly denied survival.