Pakudha Kaccāyana was an Indian teacher and philosopher who lived around the 6th century BCE, contemporaneous with Mahavira and the Buddha. He was an atomist who believed in atomism which believed that everything is made of seven eternal elements – earth, water, fire, air, happiness, pain and soul.
Pakudha Kaccayana
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|---|---|
Notable ideas | Atomism |
According to the Pali Canon, Kacayana was his family name and he is said to have belonged to a Brahmin caste. He was sometimes called Pakkudha Katiyana, or Kadhudha Katiyana.[1]
| Views of six śramaṇa | |
|---|---|
| The views of six śramaṇa in the Pāli Canon, based on the Buddhist text Sāmaññaphala Sutta[2] | |
| Pūraṇa Kassapa | |
| Amoralism | There is no reward or punishment for either good or bad deeds. |
| Makkhali Gośāla (Ājīvika) | |
| Fatalism (niyativāda) | We are powerless; suffering is pre-destined. |
| Ajita Kesakambalī (Charvaka) | |
| Materialism | Live happily; with death, all is annihilated. |
| Pakudha Kaccāyana | |
| Eternalism (sassatavāda) | Matter, pleasure, pain and the soul are eternal and do not interact. |
| Mahavira (Jainism) | |
| Restraint | Be endowed with, cleansed by, and suffused with the avoidance of all evil.[3] |
| Sañjaya Belaṭṭhiputta (Ajñana) | |
| Agnosticism | "I don't think so. I don't think in that way or otherwise. I don't think not or not not." Suspension of judgement. |
According to Pakudha, there are seven eternal "elements": Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Joy, Sorrow and Life. Pakudha further asserted that these elements do not interact with one another.
The Samannaphala Sutta (DN2) represents Pakudha's views as follows:
In the Brahmajala Sutta (DN1), theories such as Pakudha's are labeled as "Atomic theory" (Pali/Skt.: anu vaada) and "eternalism" (sassatavādā).[5]
According to Buddhaghosa, he suffered from many obsessional rituals with regard to the use of water:a voided the use of cold water, using always hot; when this was not available, he did not wash. If he crossed a stream he would consider this as a sin, and would make expiation by constructing a mound of earth.[6]
He did not speak of God, soul and the other world which has led some scholars considered him also as a materialist.[7]
According to Buddhist sources, Pakudha's followers did not hold him in high esteem, in contrast to the devotion felt for the Buddha by his followers. Pakudha did not welcome questions, and displayed annoyance and resentment when cross examined. Elsewhere however, he is spoken of as having been highly honoured by the people, a teacher of large and well reputed schools, with numerous followers. But he did not lay claim to perfect enlightenment .[8]
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