http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... 81#p174513" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I mentioned Ven Sujato's speculation that parts of MN 29 Maha Saropama Sutta: The Longer Heartwood-simile may have been added later to bolster the Theravada point of view that an Arahant cannot "fall away", an opinion not shared by all of the early schools.
Ven Sujato notes that the Chinese Agama version of the sutta does not have the line:
- And it is impossible for that bhikkhu to fall away from that perpetual deliverance.
Whether liberation is permanent or not was a point of disagreement between sects, so this line may be a late addition to the Theravada version.
It's worth knowing that this controversy existed, and, in particular, that disagreement over this point pre-dates the Mahayana, lest one mistakenly accuse Mahayana schools of starting this idea...
Here is a discussion on DharmaWheel:
http://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.ph ... t=0#p86672" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Mike