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Introduction |
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The Buddhist Canon
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| Tripitaka Koreana Repository holds over 84thousand wooden printing blocks containing Buddhist scriptures. Even after 700 years, it is still functional today. | | Gautama the Buddha (also known as Shakyamuni) was born into wealth and privilege during the sixth century BCE in the small kingdom of Kapila, in Nepal’s Terai region. He was the only son of the king and lived a sheltered, pampered life.
Gautama’s life was so sheltered that he knew little of suffering until he reached adulthood, when one of his servants told him about death. Upon learning of the suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death, Gautama left the luxury of his father’s kingdom to seek an end to the pain of the sentient world.
After six years of ascetic practice, the Buddha attained enlightenment at the age of 35. He spent the next 45 years teaching. By the time he entered Parinirvana (death) at 80, the Buddha had trained many disciples to continue his teachings.
The Buddhist Canon (Sutras in Sanskrit) is a collection of adaptive teachings the Buddha used during the years following his enlightenment. Each lesson was provided in accordance with each student’s needs. The Buddha did not prescribe one treatment for all ailments; he used numerous approaches to reap the greatest benefits.
The Canon is a record of the Buddha’s words and includes the complementary sermons and analyses of his disciples. The Sutras, Sanskrit for thread, form a garland or string that maintains the integrity of the Buddhadharma and leads practitioners to enlightenment.
In explaining the motive for compiling the sutra, the Vinaya (a monastic code detailing the precepts practitioners should observe ) notes: “Why do flowers scattered on a table blow away with the wind? Because they are not threaded together.” The Canon was compiled to prevent the doctrines from disappearing.
In the early years of Buddhism, regular and systemic group recitation was encouraged to maintain the integrity of the Buddhist Canon. As the Buddha’s message spread, however, discrepancies arose among his disciples and it became necessary to codify the Canon.
Three months after the Buddha entered Parinirvana, the First Council was convened in Rajagaha. The Buddha’s enlightened followers recited and organized the Canon, but did not record the sutras.
The Buddhist Canon was finally committed to writing at the Fourth Council, held during the second century BCE in Kashmir. The Upadesa (commentaries on the Sutra), Vinaya-vibhasa (commentaries on the Vinaya) and Abhidharma-vibbhasa (commentaries on the Abhidharma) were also added during the Fourth Council.
The Buddhist Canon is generally divided into three sections:
*The Sutras – a collection of the Buddha’s teachings
*The Vinaya – the religious precepts the Sangha (the monks and nuns comprising the religious Buddhist community) must follow; there are 277 precepts for Bhikus (monks) and 311 precepts for Bhikunis (nuns)
*The Abhidharma – a collection of commentaries on the Sutra and Vinaya; the Abhidharma was not compiled by the Buddha himself, it grew from the four councils held after his death
Collectively, the Sutras, Vinaya and Abhidharma are known as the Tripitaka, which is a Sanskrit word meaning three baskets. The term originates from the Buddha’s disciples who stored the pattra (prepared tree leaves) on which the Buddha’s words were recorded in a basket.
The Sutras were originally recorded in Pali, but as the Buddha’s disciples disseminated his message throughout Asia, the Canon was translated to reach each new community.
While each Buddhist tradition – Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana – recognizes a different number of sutras and adheres to a slightly different version of the Canon, there are certain core discourses that are universally recommended for newcomers. They include:
*Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta: Setting in motion the Wheel of Truth
*Adittapariyaya-sutta: The Fire Sermon
*Metta-sutta: Universal Love
*Mangala-sutta: Blessings
*Sabbasava-sutta: Getting Rid of all Cares and Troubles
*Satipatthana-sutta: The Foundations of Mindfulness
*Sigalovada-sutta: Domestic and Social Relations
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