Experientialist

The third group experientialists are described in the following way. The ßaGgAravasutta of MN says the following,

“†atra BhAradvAja eke samanabrahmaNa pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu sAmaM yeva dhammaM abhiJJAya sacchikatvA diTThadhammAbhiJJA vosAnapAramippattA AdI brahmacariyaM paTijAnati tesAhamasmiM.”

=There, O Bhāradvaja!, certain recluses and Brahmins acknowledge noble life having realized for oneself the truth of things and reached the end of perfection of deep knowledge in this life itself, I am one of them.”

The Buddha says there are thinkers who realized new truths, unheard knowledge by themselves and they are discovered with deep knowledge in this life itself. The Buddha says he is one them who received the new knowledge of truth by his own strength of quest. This knowledge is called  (the knowledge received by mental culture) BhAvanamaya paJJA. According to this explanation, the Buddha is one of the experientialists who experienced the knowledge for Himself and His methodology was bhAvana (mental culture) the best form of development of human mind.

In the åriyapariyesanasutta of MN, the Buddha explains how He received knowledge at His time for searching truth before enlightenment.

“YannUnAhaM yaM dhammaM ®Amo sayaM abhiJJA sacchikatvA viharAmIti pavedesi, tassa dhammassa sacchikiriyaya padaheyyanti. So kho ahaM bhikkhave na cirasseva khippameva taM dhammaM sayaM abhiJJA sacchikatvA upasampajja vihAsiM.”

=(O monks! I thought) it would be better if I strive for realizing that doctrine which Uddakarāmaputta declares that he lives having realized himself. That I, O monks! lived having achieved and realized that doctrine by myself quickly before long.”

This shows that Uddakarāmaputta’s theory and practice are not wrong but they are not adequate to realize noble truth (ariyasacca) and they are not enough for realizing nibbāna putting a last end to birth, decay etc. Ascetic Siddhattha followed Uddakarāmaputta for he was not a traditionalist or a rationalist but he had realized the truth by his own experience in this life itself, his methodology was mental culture. Ascetic Siddhattha practised the realization of Uddakarāmaputta in search of eternal truth and happiness.

Being unsatisfied with the methods of those days teachers such as Ālārakālāma and Uddakarāmaputta ascetic Siddhattha went in isolation to village called SenAni and began austerities putting himself into various forms of suffering and even that did not bring him to the expected results then he thought as follows as recorded in the SaGgāravasutta.

“åbhijAnAmi kho panAhaM pitusakkassa kammante sītAya jambucchAyAya nisinno vivicca kAme . . . paThamajjhAnaM upasampajja viharitA siyA nu kho eso magga bodhAya.”

=Indeed, I knew well isn’t this way for enlightenment which I lived attained first trance devoid of sensual pleasures sitting in the shade of roes-apple tree (Jambu) which was cold in the activity of (farming) father Sakya.”

Having realized thus he gave up difficult austerities and began developing mental culture of mindfulness (bhAvanamaya paJJA) which led him to the higher knowledges of enlightenment gradually. He attained the three higher knowledges they are given below. Of course, among them first two were there before him but they are not perfect for liberation to overcome from the circle of birth and death. The last is the one which help to overcome from this suffering birth and death.  

1.  PubbenivAsAnussatiJANa – The higher knowledge of recollecting past existence

2.  CutUpapAtaJANa – The higher knowledge of observing births and deaths of beings

3.   ĀsavakkhayaJANa – The higher knowledge of destruction of cankers.