Lokāyata and lokāyatika in the Milindapañha

Resumo

Lokāyata is generally known as a synonym of the Cārvāka materialist system which made its appearance in or a little before the eighth century. Yet in earlier Buddhist Pali and Sanskrit literature lokāyata stands for anything but materialism. It is regarded by both commentators of the canonical works and the Pali lexicographers as a synonym for “the science of disputation”. A close study of the The Questions of Milinda, a paracanonical work in Pali, also reveals that lokāyata and lokāyatika have been used to suggest both the subject, disputatio, and those who studied/practised it. Such meanings as “nature lore”, “worldly wise” and the like are all inappropriate in the given context.