The Buddha did not leave a static structure of belief that
we can affirm and be done with. His
teaching is an ongoing path. Some
believe that portions of the Pali Canon and the Agamas contain the actual
substance of the historical teachings, while others believe that the Pali canon
and the Agamas pre-date the Mahayana sutras.
(An agama is a Sanskrit and Pali
for “sacred work” or “scripture.”
There are five agamas, which together compose the Sutra Pitaka. Different recensions of each of the
five agamas parallel the first five collections (nikayas) of the Sutta Pitaka
of the Theravada school’s Pali canon.
The Sutra Pitaka can refer to either: the Mahayana sutras, the agamas of
various extinct schools of Buddhism, or the section of the Theravada Buddhist
Pali Canon as I just mentioned.)
There is disagreement amongst various schools of Buddhism over
more complex aspects of what the Buddha is believed to have taught, and also
over some of the disciplinary rules for monks (“Vinaya”). The teachings of the Buddha, or
Buddhadharma, can be divided into two broad categories: “Dharma” or doctrine
(earlier I referred to this as universal law), and “Vinaya”, or discipline.
The
earliest Buddhist schools into which the sangha, or monastic community (also
known as the Order of Bhikkus or Mendicant Monks), initially split were due to
differences concerning the proper observance of vinaya and doctrinal
discrepancies- perpetuated by the geographical separation of monks as
well. These were ideological
splits regarding the “real” meaning of the teachings in the Sutta Pitaka, that
later became embedded in works such as the Abhidhammas and commentaries. The Sangha provides the outer framework
and the favorable conditions for all those who earnestly desire to devote their
life entirely to the realization of the highest goal of deliverance. It is of timeless significance wherever
religious development reaches maturity.
The
Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, are referred to as the Three Jewels, which
also form the Threefold Refuge.
These are the three things that Buddhists take refuge in, and look
toward for guidance. Buddha,
depending on one’s interpretation, can mean the historical Buddha, or the
Buddha nature; Dharma are the teachings of the Buddha; and the Sangha, as I
just discussed, is the community of practicing Buddhists. Taking refuge in the Three Jewls, and
the simple act of reciting a formula, is generally considered to make someone
officially a Buddhist. The Pali
chant goes as such:
Buddham saranam gacchami
Dhammam saranam gacchami
San gham saranam gacchami
I go for refuge to the Buddha
I go for refuge to the Dhamma
I go for refuge to the Dhamma
I go for refuge to the Sangha
The Mahayana
version differs slightly from the Theravada:
I take refuge
in the Buddha, wishing for all sentient beings to understand the great Way
profoundly and make the greatest resolve
I take refuge
in the Dharma, wishing for all sentient beings to delve deeply into the Sutra
Pitaka causing their wisdom to be as broad as the sea
I take refuge
in the Sangha, wishing all sentient beings to lead the congregation in harmony,
entirely without obstruction
It is through the simple act of reciting this formula three
times that one declares onself a Buddhist. (At the second and third repetition
the word Dutiyampi or Tatiyampi- for the second/third time- are added before
each sentence)
Buddhist scriptures are divided
into three pitakas or “baskets.”
The largest and most important of these is the Sutra Pitaka or “basket
of discourses,” which consists mostly of talks by the Buddha or one of his
disciples. The Dhammapada, though
not considered a sutra, is included in this collection. The other two collections are the
Vinaya Pitaka or “basket of discipline,” and the Abhidharma Pitaka or “basket
of metaphysics,” which touch on the philosophy propelling the Buddha’s
teachings.
Initially
preserved orally, and not until 29 BCE- approximately four hundred and fifty
four years after the death of Siddhartha Guatama (Shakyamuni)- was the complete
extant early Buddhist cannon written down. The oldest version of this canon to have survived is in
Pali, a vernacular descendant of Sanskrit (Buddhist terms appearing in Sanskrit
instead of Pali- e.g. dharma rather than dhamma, sutra rather than sutta). So the sutras, or discourses, preserved
in the Buddhist Pali canon were largely aimed at the monks and nuns of the
Buddhist order. But the Dhammapada
was meant for everyone. I leave
you off with the first two verses to graze and ponder-
“Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we
think. Suffering follows an evil
thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draw it.”
“Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we
think. Joy follows a pure thought
like a shadow that never leaves.”
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