Origins of the "double-truth"

[Venkatraman Iyer]

>>We cannot rule out Indic influence on the Arab world. You would need
>>examples from Classical antiquity.

S. Farmer wrote:
>Analogous concepts can be easily supplied from so-called gnostic
>and Middle Platonist documents in the Mediterranean and Daoist
>(also Neo-Daoist) texts in China -- all emerging about the same
>time as Abhidhamma. Given the close links that existed between
>exegetical processes and developments in premodern religious and
>philosophical ideas, there is nothing surprising about these near
>simultaneities.

Are you saying that the Buddhist "dual-truth" is so widespread
that there is nothing unique about it? But Gnosticism and
Manichaeism have to a lot to do with Iran and India. Similarly
Chinese Daoism was influenced by Buddhism early on.
In Greece, interactions intensified during Alexander.
There is a good possibility of Upanishads and Greek philosopher
contact with ideas traveling both ways. Esp. when time periods
for the veda and buddha are lowered.

Do you know any examples from Greece that clearly predate
Buddhist "dual-truth"?

Regards,
V. Iyer

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