A Critical Analysis on the Research Perspectives Embedded in Buddhist Theory and Philosophy.

Abstract

All atheistic religions both east and west trust upon that the god is paramount important. The God is the creator, conveyor and the destroyer of the world endorsing all that the God can do anything and everything. Buddhism going away from that direction made the world to believe based on truth by emanating a new philosophy. Almighty conceptions and beliefs propounded by the ancient Indian Brahmins and their self-interested hegemony was totally challenged and diffused by the Buddhist philosophy. The intension of this paper is to make a critical study on the research perspectives embedded in Buddhist theory and philosophy like critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, referencing, review which were later devised by the modern research methodology.The above dogmatic almighty hegemonic thoughts and way of behavior were critically disproved and rejected by the Lord Buddha by introducing independent thinking and expressed self-thinking over self-interested belief. The Buddha showed that even achievement of enlightment is based on research perspectives like discourse, self-thought, evaluation, critical analysis, discussion, survey, review and so on. The Sangharava Sutra in Majjima Nikaya clearly connotes this. By the birth and Bosath period, un to enlightenment and later periods the Buddha has followed these perspectives and Sutra pronouncement like “King Sachcha Gaveshi” validates this fact. “Sarvannga” was presaged to him because the Buddha himself realized all by following the Dharma. This factor and attaining nibbana both are self-observing phenomena, which could be seen in modern research methodology. Ariya pariyeshana sutra of Majjima Nikaya very clearly denotes this fact. Observation, investigation, conclusion, arriving at inferences are some other points signified by the Buddhist philosophy, which stand for modern research methodology. These conceptions have been in Buddhism and source like Chullahasthipadopama sutra proves it. Kalama sutra emphasizes free and un-bias thoughts, open thinking and someone can critically review, point out facts even when the Buddhism is observed in occultist standpoints. Questioning, querying, inquiring, and holding critic standpoints are preached in Buddhist theory. Even some one attains a truth or come to very genuine standpoint he or she cannot practice it in his or her own and to activate it he or she should follow and observe three authoritative elements like Attadhipatheyya, Dhammadipatheyya and Lokadipatheyya. These all facts strongly authorize that all research perspectives discussed in this paper have been verified by Buddhist philosophy 2500 years before. There are lot of confusions and intricacies in modern research methodology which Buddhist philosophy is free from that. All these facts direct that literature review is an essential phenomenon in research or having conclusions, inferences and genuine solutions for research problems. Buddhism also verifies that critical pre-evaluation, pre-research, investigation are essential in approaching to the truth.