Abstract

This research paper is on the integral role that the Buddhist literature has played in the development and enrichment of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS). It contends that Buddhist texts form an important and usually underestimated stream of Indian comprehensive intellectual tradition. Through an analysis of primary textual genres and themes, the paper shows that Buddhist literature made seminal contributions in the fields of epistemology and logic, empirical science and cosmology, social ethics, and pedagogical models. Furthermore, it was an important vehicle for the spread of Indian thought in Asia. The findings show that Buddhist literature brought rigid frameworks of reasoning, sophisticated theories on mind and matter and universal ethical principles. In the final section of this paper, we suggest the contemporary relevance of these contributions, especially in relation to current issues in bringing IKS into the spectrum of multidisciplinary education or in global discussions about science and philosophy.