Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge c9.2

c9.2

(244) When we tried to classify the thinkers of the pre-Buddhistic era in accordance with their epistemological outlook and approach to problems, we found in Chapter I that the Vedic thinkers up to the time of Buddhism seemed to fall into three groups. Firstly, there were the traditionalists coming down from the period of the Brāhmaṇas who considered the sacred scriptures to be the most valuable source of knowledge. Secondly, there were the thinkers of the Āraṇyakas and Early Upaniṣads, who, while not entirely discarding scripture, thought that knowledge of reality was possible by reasoning and metaphysical speculation. While this second school of thinkers would have continued independently to evolve their own speculative theories there arose thirdly, the contemplatives of the Middle and Late Upaniṣads, who while relegating scripture to the realm of lower knowledge (aparā vidyā) and discarding reason (tarka) as an adequate means of obtaining knowledge of reality claimed that the only means of knowing reality was by having a personal and direct acquaintance or experience of it, by practising meditative techniques (yoga) and depending on the grace of God for the final vision or revelation.