Early Buddhists undisputably considered Nirvana to be the ultimate goal of their practice. However, not only was the meaning of Nirvana disputed, but so were the means (e.g., right view and no view) conducive to its achievement. The thesis proposes to examine the controversial status that scholars have accorded to faith and reason as elelments of the path. In this respect, the Buddha's attitude toward tradition, reasoning and experience is examined, along with the epistemological foundations of Pali canonical thought. Related issues such as identifying the ultimate criterion of reality advanced by Buddhism are also discussed. Moreover, since the Buddha suggested various ways leading to Nirvana, an attempt is made to discover how the paths of sila, samadhi and panna relate to each other and to the final goal.

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