Oldest Suttas or Vaggas

Textual analysis and comparative discussion on early Buddhist sects and scriptures.
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DarrenM
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Oldest Suttas or Vaggas

Post by DarrenM »

Are there any books or studies recommended for the oldest Pali Canon Suttas or Vaggas?
“Householder, you have provided the community of monks with robes, alms food, lodgings, & medicinal requisites for the sick, but you shouldn’t rest content with the thought, ‘We have provided the community of monks with robes, alms food, lodgings, & medicinal requisites for the sick.’ So you should train yourself, ‘Let’s periodically enter & remain in seclusion & rapture.’ That’s how you should train yourself.”
AN 5.176- Rapture
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Idappaccayata
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Re: Oldest Suttas or Vaggas

Post by Idappaccayata »

Gil fronsdal has a book called "the Buddha before Buddhism" that's about the book of eights, which is considered to be one of the earliest suttas.
A dying man can only rely upon his wisdom, if he developed it. Wisdom is not dependent upon any phenomenon originated upon six senses. It is developed on the basis of the discernment of the same. That’s why when one’s senses start to wither and die, the knowledge of their nature remains unaffected. When there is no wisdom, there will be despair, in the face of death.

- Ajahn Nyanamoli Thero
thomaslaw
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Re: Oldest Suttas or Vaggas

Post by thomaslaw »

DarrenM wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 3:05 pm Are there any books or studies recommended for the oldest Pali Canon Suttas or Vaggas?
Yes, the following book, according to the scholar monk, Yin Shun, regards the Sutra/Sutta-anga portion of the Samyukta-Agama/Samyutta-Nikaya for the oldest early Buddhist texts:

Choong Mun-keat. 2000. The Fundamental Teachings of Early Buddhism: A Comparative Study Based on the Sutra-anga portion of the Pali Samyutta-Nikaya and the Chinese Samyuktagama (Series: Beitrage zur Indologie Band 32; Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden).

:buddha1:
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Volo
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Re: Oldest Suttas or Vaggas

Post by Volo »

Bhikkhu Sujato in his "History of mindfulness" presents his views on this point.
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StormBorn
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Re: Oldest Suttas or Vaggas

Post by StormBorn »

Below two articles might also contribute to improve your knowledge on this topic. :smile:

Chronology of the Pali Canon by Prof. Bimala Churn Law

Sri Lanka's Contribution to the Development of the Pali Canon by Prof. Oliver Abeynayake
“Greater in battle than the man who would conquer a thousand-thousand men, is he who would conquer just one—himself.”
DarrenM
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Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2018 3:33 pm

Re: Oldest Suttas or Vaggas

Post by DarrenM »

Great, Thankyou all for your replies. :smile:
“Householder, you have provided the community of monks with robes, alms food, lodgings, & medicinal requisites for the sick, but you shouldn’t rest content with the thought, ‘We have provided the community of monks with robes, alms food, lodgings, & medicinal requisites for the sick.’ So you should train yourself, ‘Let’s periodically enter & remain in seclusion & rapture.’ That’s how you should train yourself.”
AN 5.176- Rapture
thang
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Re: Oldest Suttas or Vaggas

Post by thang »

Be very careful about the EBT analisis of modern scholars.

Bhikkhuni supporting monks may try to prove that the passages about additional rules on bhikkhunis are inauthentic.
Anti-Vipassana monks may try to prove that the passages about vipassana are inauthentic.
Political missionary monks may try to prove that the passages about non-political behavior are inauthentic.

Many scholars have their biases and views.
"Bhikkhus, whatever the Tathāgata speaks, _ all that is just so and NOT otherwise."
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