The term "Materialist" refers to a philosophical school that holds
that the individual and the physical body are one and the same.
Because the body is made up of specific physical components,
the person ceases to exist when the body dies.
Because materialists felt there was no life beyond death,
they saw no incentive to participate in religious activities in the hopes of a
better afterlife.
According to the materialist, one should live well, enjoy
life to the fullest, and then die.
Ajita Keshakambalin, a disciple of the Buddha, was the
first to advocate this perspective.
Later followers were dubbed Lokayata ("worldly")
and Charvaka ("religious") (after the supposed founder).
The other intellectual schools all despised the
materialists, believing that their rejection of religious life was hazardous.
Their view on the pramanas, the ways by which human beings
might receive real and correct knowledge, was one of their philosophical
beliefs and an evidence of their rootedness in physical experience.
At least three of these pramanas—perception (prat yaksha),
inference (anumana), and authoritative testimony—were accepted by most schools
(shabda).
Materialists, on the other hand, acknowledged just
perception and denied the validity of the other two.
Experience and the notion that what is there in front of
one's eyes is unquestionable are emphasized.
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.
Be sure to check out my writings on religion here.
