Question

Which of the following correctly identifies a key philosophical belief of the Ajivika school?

• A. Purity and impurity arise spontaneously, and all events are governed by fate, not personal effort.
• B. Liberation is attained by eliminating desire and following the Eightfold Path.
• C. Human beings achieve liberation through self-effort and the practice of strict asceticism.
• D. Moral actions and individual responsibility determine the cycle of rebirth.

Answer 1

Answer:

A. Purity and impurity arise spontaneously, and all events are governed by fate, not personal effort.

The Ajivika school, founded by Gosala Maskariputra, held a deterministic worldview centered on the doctrine of Niyati. According to this doctrine, all events occur according to fate, without cause, reason, or moral influence. This led them to reject the ideas of personal moral responsibility, karma, and free will—unlike Buddhists and Jains, who emphasized individual effort in the path to liberation.