Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c6.s5.t2.5

c6.s5.t2.5

The way Buddha applied the technique of Vibhajyavāda in his discourse led to the development of Anekāntavāda. He not only presented an alternate world-view, he also encouraged arguments and discussions. Before his enlightenment he had met a number of philosophers and thinkers of his times. His quest for enlightenment has been termed *ariyapariyesana* (The Noble Quest) in Pāli canons. During his restless wandering and search for knowledge, he met Ālāra Kālāma and Uddaka Rāmaputta.⁸⁹ Sañjaya Kātyāyana, Purāṇakaśyapa, Makkali Gosāla and Ajitakeśakambalin — these were Buddha’s contemporaries. Kakuda Kaccāyana was a humpbacked philosopher, belonging to the Ājīvaka sect in fifth century BCE. These philosophers have been raising questions on prevailing norms. It is perhaps to condemn them that the interpolation in Vālmīki’s *Rāmāyaṇa* comprising Jābāli’s conversation with Rāma was added. Buddha rejected their views. He is reported to have described, Makkali Gosāla, an exponent of Ājīvaka sect, as “a burden on earth” a person responsible for leading people astray.⁹⁰ He also launched a crusade against the hypocrisy of the priestly class. Pratap Chandra (1977) says: