Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge c8.76

c8.76

(175) The fourth school of Sceptics is described in language identical with that used to define the philosophy of Sañjaya so that we may presume that Sañjaya was one of the foremost representatives if not the leader of this school. Sañjaya is described along with the other five teachers, who were contemporaries of the Buddha as being a well-known (ñāto), celebrated (yasassī) teacher and a leader of a sect (titthakaro) who was held in high esteem by the common folk (sādhusammato bahujanassa); he is also said to have a following (saṅghī ganī). This description occurs in a stereotyped sentence,¹ which is used of all the six heretical teachers several times in the Nikāyas (D. I.150, M. I.⁴, S. I.68, J. I.509). But since it is complimentary we need not doubt that it contained a good deal of truth. He may have been Sāriputta’s teacher prior to the latter’s conversion to Buddhism.² Barua doubts this. He says that ‘one may reasonably object to the identification of Sañjaya the Sceptic, who is designated in the Sāmaññaphala Sutta as Sañjaya Belatthaputta (or Belatthiputta) with Sañjaya described in the Vinaya Mahāvagga and the Dhammapada commentary as a Paribbājaka’ (*op. cit.*, p. 325). However, if the commentarial tradition that Suppiya Paribbājaka was a disciple of Sañjaya³ is correct, we need not doubt that Sañjaya himself was a Paribbājaka and was sometimes known as such.