Ucchedavada
(Redirected from Doctrine of Annihilationism)
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(Skt., the teaching of cutting off).
Also known as uccheda-dṛṣṭi, ‘the doctrine of Annihilationism’, one of the ‘two extremes’ condemned by the Buddha.
This is the view that there is no rebirth or fruition of karma.and that the individual is utterly annihilated at death.
It is considered especially pernicious since it encourages moral irresponsibility and hedonism.
The Buddha raised two objections to this notion: that it is disproved by recollection of past lives, and it implies the existence of a self (ātman) that is destroyed at death.
The other extreme view is Eternalism (śāśvata-vāda).
