Seers and Ascetics: Analyzing the Vedic Theory of Cognition and Contemplative Practice in the Development of Early Buddhist Meditation and Imaginary

Vedic hymns in the R̥gveda contain metaphors—fire, chariot, yoke, light, ocean—that prefigure ideas later developed in Buddhist meditative practice and theory of knowledge. The Vedic seer serves as a forerunner of the Buddhist practitioner, with both traditions sharing themes of overcoming ignorance and attaining knowledge. Two major metaphorical fields are identified: one concerning cognition and knowledge, the other contemplative practice and liberation. Vedic contemplative exercises, often understood as prayer, show similarities to Buddhist meditation. While Vedic religiosity focuses on divine association, Buddhism reinterprets these ideas within a human-centered framework, indicating an intricate dialogue rather than a simple rejection of Vedic traditions.

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Abstract

This paper represents an attempt to investigate some aspects of Vedic religiosity, as represented in the R̥gveda (R̥V), in comparison with the Pāli Canon on the themes of cognition, contemplative practice, and the theory of knowledge. It aims to argue that the metaphors in R̥V, for instance, fire, the chariot, the yoke, light, and the ocean, bear proto-Buddhist ideas that have influenced Buddhist meditative practices. These metaphors reflect a theory of knowledge and cognition that shares certain features with the Pāli Canon. The Vedic seer, the figure around whom this discussion revolves, is a forerunner of the Buddhist practitioner, and the themes of surmounting ignorance and gaining knowledge are common to both of them. The article identifies two major metaphorical fields: one related to knowledge and cognition and the other related to contemplative practice and liberation. The analysis investigates how Vedic metaphors represent an early conceptualization of “technics”, both bodily and contemplative. It underlines similarities between Vedic contemplative exercises, usually understood as a form of prayer, and Buddhist meditation. While the Vedic tradition is focused on divine association, the Buddhist framework reinterprets these ideas within a human-centered perspective. The transformation of Vedic metaphors into Buddhist concepts shows an intricate dialogue rather than an absolute rejection of Vedic traditions.