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( 173 ) All these three views are not fundamentally different from one another, since they unanimously accept the common factors, utpāda, vyaya, and thrauvya simultaneity (sahabha. vitva) and modifications with successivity ( kramabhavitva ). The Buddhist philosophers are familiar with the first and the last view, but they do not make any distinction between them,
Anekantavāda in Buddhist literature
The rudiments of the theory of anekantaviida can be gleaned from early Pali literature. The Brahmajala Sutta pointed out the sixty-two Wrong views ( Micchaditthis) according to the Buddhistic standpoint. Out of them, the Ucchedavada ( nihilism) and Sassatavada (Eternalıms ), Buddhaghosa says, were taught by Nigantha Nataputta to two of his pupils, just belore his death
This account of Buddhaghosa cannot be accepted as true since he had quite understandably misunderstood the teachings of Nigantha Nataputta. Buddhaghosa had not been fully conversant with all aspects of anekāntavāda and he had thought that Nigantha Ņātaputta had taught contradictory doctrines. This is quite understandable because the theory of permanence in-changa which forms the basis of the Anekantavāda is completely at variance with the Buddhist theory which accepts only change. Due to this difficulty thoughts of Nigantha Nataputta are considered in Pali literature under the headings Sassatavīda and Ucchedavüda.
Rudiments of Anekāntavāda are traceable in the Buddhist approach to questions : Pali literaturelo describes how he answered a question in four ways. The four ways are :
(i) Ekansa-vyñ karaniya ( answerable categorically ). (ii) Pați pucchävyäkaraniya ( answerable by putting ano
ther question ) (iii) Thapañiya ( question that should be set aside ). (iv) Vibhajjavyākaraniya ( answerable analytically )
