David Kalupahana

David J. Kalupahana
Born1936
DiedJanuary 15, 2014
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of London, University of Peradeniya, Mahinda College, Galle
SpouseIndrani Kalupahana
ChildrenNandana Kalupahana
Dimati Kalupahana
Milinda Kalupahana
Scientific career
FieldsPhilosophy, Buddhist Studies
InstitutionsUniversity of Hawaii
Doctoral advisorK. N. Jayatilleke
Notable studentsP. D. Premasiri

David J. Kalupahana (1936–2014) was a Buddhist scholar from Sri Lanka. He was a student of the late K.N. Jayatilleke, who was a student of Wittgenstein. He wrote mainly about epistemology, theory of language, and compared later Buddhist philosophical texts against the earliest texts and tried to present interpretations that were both historically contextualised and also compatible with the earliest texts, and in doing so, he encouraged Theravada Buddhists and scholars to reevaluate the legitimacy of later, Mahayana texts and consider them more sympathetically.