Two paradigmatic strands in the buddhist theory of consciousness
pp. 275-285
in: Rolf von Eckartsberg (ed), Metaphors of consciousness, Berlin, Springer, 1981Abstrakt
The philosophical and psychological reflections of early Buddhism1 as found in the discourses of the Buddha provide an interesting base to examine some of the contemporary controversies in psychological theory. In fact, the Buddha himself, who was confronted by numerous philosophers and debaters, betrayed a significant sophistication regarding the kind of conceptual framework one should use when discussing the nature of human consciousness. In a sustained criticism of 62 theories regarding man and the universe, the Buddha (Digha Nikaya, Sutta 1) considers his own position as a kind of "razor's edge" which will steer clear of certain theoretical pitfalls like eternalism and annihilationism, materialism and idealism, determinism and indeterminism, and value relativism and value absolutism.