PakudhaPakudaKakudhaKakudaPakudha KaccāyanaPakudha KātiyānaKakudha KaccāyanaKakudha Kātiyāna

Head of one of the six heretical sects of the Buddha’s time. In the Sāmaññaphala Sutta, DN.i.56 Ajātasattu is said to have visited him and obtained from him an exposition of his teaching, which was to the effect that the four elements—earth, fire, air, water; pleasure, pain, and the soul—these seven things were eternally existent and unchangeable in their very nature; that there is no volitional activity of consciousness in them. His doctrine is, therefore, one of non action. When one, with a sharp sword, cleaves a head in twain, no one is thereby deprived of life, a sword has merely penetrated into the interval between seven elementary substances. In other words, there is no such act as killing, or hearing, or knowing, etc.; no conceptions of, or distinction between, good and bad, knowledge and ignorance, etc.

Pakudha’s teachings are also referred to in the Sandaka Sutta, MN.i.517 and there described at even greater length, but here his name is not mentioned.

We are told MN.i.250 MN.ii.4 that Pakudha’s followers did not hold him in high esteem, in contrast to the devotion felt for the Buddha by his followers. Pakudha did not welcome questions, and displayed annoyance and resentment when cross examined. Elsewhere MN.i.198 SN.i.66 Snp.p.91 however, he is spoken of as having been highly honoured by the people, a teacher of large and well reputed schools, with numerous followers. But he did not lay claim to perfect enlightenment. SN.i.68