Purana Kassapa (IAST: Pūrṇa Kāśyapa; Pali: Pūraṇa Kassapa) was an Indian ascetic teacher who lived around the 6th century BCE, contemporaneous with Mahavira and the Buddha.
The views of six śramaṇa in the Pāli Canon (based on the Buddhist text Sāmaññaphala Sutta1) | |
Śramaṇa | view (diṭṭhi)1 |
Pūraṇa Kassapa |
Amoralism: denies any reward or punishment for either good or bad deeds. |
Makkhali Gośāla (Ājīvika) |
Niyativāda (Fatalism): we are powerless; suffering is pre-destined. |
Ajita Kesakambalī (Lokāyata) |
Materialism: live happily; with death, all is annihilated. |
Pakudha Kaccāyana |
Sassatavāda (Eternalism): Matter, pleasure, pain and the soul are eternal and do not interact. |
Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta (Jainism) |
Restraint: be endowed with, cleansed by and suffused with the avoidance of all evil.2 |
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. |
Notes: | 1. DN 2 (Thanissaro, 1997; Walshe, 1995, pp. 91-109). 2. DN-a (Ñāṇamoli & Bodhi, 1995, pp. 1258-59, n. 585). |
Purana taught a theory of "non-action" (Pāli, Skt.: akiriyāvāda) whereby the body acts independent of the soul, merit or demerit.[1] In the Pali Canon, Purana (along with the ascetic Makkhali Gosala) is identified as an ahetuvadin, "denier of a cause" (of merit).[2]
As an example of Purana's beliefs, in the Samannaphala Sutta (DN 2) it is reported that Purana said:
The Anguttara Nikaya also reports that Purana claimed to be omniscient. The Dhammapada commentary claims that Purana died by drowning himself.[4]