Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge

How do we come to know anything, by the lights of early Buddhist dharma? We will look at this key philosophical problem, illuminated by words from one key sutta, and a more recent, deep work of 20th century commentarial analysis.

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✅ Book:
KN Jayatilleke, Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge — https://amzn.to/3tdG2cq

✅ Videos mentioned:
Spiritual Humility in Early Buddhism: Lessons from the Cankī Sutta —    • Spiritual Humility in Early Buddhism: Less...  
Humility and Skepticism in Buddhist Practice: Problems with the Cankī Sutta —    • Humility and Skepticism in Buddhist Practi...  
Who Was Sariputta/Śariputra? (Life of the Buddha's Chief Disciple) —    • Who Was Sariputta/Śariputra? (Life of the ...  

✅ Suttas mentioned:
The Kālāmas: https://suttacentral.net/an3.65/en/su...
https://suttacentral.net/mn95/en/sujato
https://suttacentral.net/an4.193/en/s...
https://suttacentral.net/mn76/en/sujato
https://suttacentral.net/mn12/en/sujato
https://suttacentral.net/mn26/en/sujato
https://suttacentral.net/dn1/en/sujato
https://suttacentral.net/mn56/en/sujato

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00:00 Intro
01:54 Jayatilleke’s book and the Kālāmas
05:18 Two illegitimate sources of knowledge
06:31 Problems with authority
08:24 Problems with reason and logic
11:46 The Buddha’s positive epistemology
13:36 The Buddha’s distinctive empiricism

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