Ājīvika in Early India

A Study of Ājīvika’s Way of Life and Philosophical Concepts

Authors

  • สุมาลี (Sumalee) มหณรงค์ชัย (Mahanarongchai) Department of History, Philosophy and English Literature, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Thammasat University

Keywords:

Ājīvika, Fatalism, Makkhali Gosāla, Pūrana Kassapa, Pakudha Kaccāyana

Abstract

This article explores the way of life and status of Ājīvika in Early India prior to the time of Gotama Buddha. Also, it studies some major philosophical concepts, and the contribution and impact of Ājīvika teachers on Indian society. The study reveals that Ājīvika is one of three ascetic groups: Buddhism, Jain and Ājīvika, that could have survived for more than a millennium in Early India. The doctrines of Ājīvika teachers in the Buddha’s time comprised of Makkhali Gosāla’s fatalism, Pūrana Kassapa’s niyati-antinomianism, and Pakudha Kaccāyana’s atomism. These concepts had a contribution to a scientific way of thinking as well as an influence upon Indian folks who dwelled under the caste system.

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Published

2019-05-29

How to Cite

มหณรงค์ชัย (Mahanarongchai) ส. (Sumalee). (2019). Ājīvika in Early India: A Study of Ājīvika’s Way of Life and Philosophical Concepts. Journal of the Faculty of Arts, Silpakorn University, 41(1), 168–184. Retrieved from https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/jasu/article/view/194700