K. N. Jayatilleke

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K. N. Jayatilleke
Cambridge University
GenrePhilosophy, Buddhist Studies
SpousePat Jayatilleke
ChildrenAnjani Karunaratne
Nandini Karunamuni
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Kulatissa Nanda Jayatilleke (1 November 1920 – 23 July 1970) was an internationally recognised authority on Buddhist philosophy whose book Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge has been described as "an outstanding philosophical interpretation of the Buddha's teaching" in the Encyclopedia of Philosophy.[1]

Biography

Jayatilleke, was born on 1 November 1920, in

Cambridge University with a view to acquire a firm grounding in Western philosophy. He obtained a unique training in Eastern and Western thought and an analytical approach to philosophy that provided him with a background that nourished his work throughout his career. Jayatilleke was a Nuffield Fellow in the Humanities, a Fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences [1], Hay-Whitney-Fulbright Fellow, an editor of various philosophy journals, and was the Professor and Head of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Ceylon
, from 1963 until his death in 1970.

Contributions

Jayatilleke is best known as the author of the book Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge, Perhaps the Greatest Book written by a Sri Lankan in the 20th Century

theory of knowledge in pre-Buddhist Indian thought and their development in early Buddhism. It consists of a comprehensive inquiry into the nature of knowledge and the questions relating to the means and limits of knowledge.[2][3] The book attempts to work out a general methodology for answering questions that arise in the context of profound and sophisticated philosophical discussions,[3] and attempts to show that the Buddha was an empiricist and verificationist who denied the meaningfulness of metaphysical utterances. Jayatilleke describes his book as an "attempt to uncover the epistemological foundations of Pali Canonical thought, from a new point of view and in the light of new material." His basic contentions were that early Buddhism has an empiricist outlook, gives a significant place to the analytic approach in philosophy, and does not contradict the findings of modern science. Jayatilleke was a student of Ludwig Wittgenstein, and a teacher of the famous Buddhist scholar, David Kalupahana
.

Work

Jayatilleke attempted to work out systematically the

Buddha upheld the value of analytic reason rather than speculative reason. He presented three significant elements in the "new point of view" from which he discussed the thought of the Pali Canon
- the empiricist outlook, the analytical approach, and the scientific attitude. In his book, Jayatilleke cites four ways of examining philosophical questions that bring out the analytic approach in Buddhism:

Jayatilleke had a great respect for modern scientific findings, and considered rebirth as a hypothesis capable of being scientifically verified. Apart from his basic writings in the field of epistemology, there are a number of other works. The most significant of these are "Buddhism and the race question"[7] and the Principles of International Law in Buddhist Doctrine.[8] The Message of the Buddha[9] was published posthumously and contains material that he had been working at the time of his death.

Publications

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b Encyclopedia of Philosophy, vol. I (New Your, 1967) p420.
  2. ^ a b Jayatilleke, K.N. Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge. George Allen and Unwin, 1963 https://archive.org/details/EarlyBuddhistTheoryOfKnowledge
  3. ^ a b c d de Silva MWP. Memorial Tribute to the Late Professor K. N. Jayatilleke. Philosophy East & West, Vol 21, Number 2 (April 1971)
  4. ^ Ninian Smart, review of Jayatilleke's Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge, in Mind 75, no. 299 (Jul. 1966), 454.
  5. ^ George Chatalian (Harvard) Jayatilleke on a concept of Meaninglessness in the Pali Nikayas. Philosophy East and West, vol, XVIII, Nos. 1 and 2, January April 1968.
  6. AN 4.42; see, e.g., Thanissaro, trans., 1992).
  7. ^ Buddhism and the Race Question by G. P. Malalasekera, K. N. Jayatilleke Review author[s]: Andrew W. Lind Philosophy East and West, Vol. 8, No. 1/2 (Apr. – Jul. 1958), pp. 68–69
  8. ^ Jayatilleke, K.N. The principles of international law in Buddhist doctrine / K.N. Jayatilleke. Recueil des cours, Volume 120 (1967-I), pp. 441–567.
  9. ^ Jayatilleke, K.N. The Message of the Buddha. Buddhist Publication Society. 1975 (Posthumous work)
  10. ^ Buddhist Publication Society P.O. Box 61 54, Sangharaja Mawatha Kandy, Sri Lanka
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