These six teachers of nihilism, sophism, determinism, asceticism, etc. sought to rival the Buddha in his day: Purāṇa Kāśyapa, who negated the effects of actions, good or evil; Māskārin Gośāliputra, who taught a theory of randomness, negating causality; Saṃjāyin Vairaṭiputra, who was agnostic in refusing to maintain any opinion about anything; Kakuda Kātyāyana, who taught a materialism in which there was no such thing as killer or killed, but only transformations of elements; Ajita Keśakambala, who taught a more extreme nihilism regarding everything except the four main elements; and Nirgrantha Jñātiputra, otherwise known as Mahāvīra, the founder of Jainism, who taught the doctrine of indeterminism (Skt. syādvāda), considering all things in terms of “maybe.” They were allowed to proclaim their doctrines unchallenged until a famous assembly at Śrāvastī, where the Buddha eclipsed them with a display of miracles and teachings.

These six teachers of nihilism, sophism, determinism, asceticism, etc. sought to rival the Buddha in his day: Purāna Kāśyapa, who negated the effects of action, good or evil; Māskārin Gośāli­putra, who taught a theory of randomness, negating causality; Saṃjāyin Vairaṭi­putra, who was agnostic in refusing to maintain any opinion about anything; Kakuda Kātyāyana, who taught a materialism in which there was no such thing as killer or killed, but only transformations of elements; Ajita Keśakambala, who taught a more extreme nihilism regarding everything except the four main elements; and Nirgrantha Jñāti­putra, otherwise known as Mahāvīra, the founder of Jainism, who taught the doctrine of indeterminism (syādvāda), considering all things in terms of “maybe.” They were allowed to proclaim their doctrines unchallenged until a famous assembly at Śrāvastī, where the Buddha eclipsed them with a display of miracles and teachings.