The Journalist as Change Agent

Abstract

The fundamental 'knowledge and vision' about existence, that the Buddha achieved by becoming the Fully Enlightened One has been described as 'the Four Noble Truths'. These four truths have been described in the discourses as real, unerring and not otherwise, terms usually employed to describe the idea of dependent co-origination. In discussing the Buddhist concept of truth, it is necessary to make a basic distinction between utterance of truth and realization of truth. Realization of truth involves a more important aspect of the Buddhist theory of truth. The Buddha outlines three stages of realization of truth: preservation of truth, discovery of truth, and the attainment of truth. In discussing the Buddhist theory of truth, Jayatilleke has argued that early Buddhism accepts correspondence as the criterion of truth. Discussing the interconnection of ethics, epistemology, and soteriology of truth in Buddhism, Jayatilleke remarks that there is no direct inquiry into the nature of truth in them.