The Tripitaka, or Tipitaka is the collection of Buddhist scriptures of both Theravada and Mahayana. It refers literally to the three baskets of literature – large volumes!
The Dhammapada, a small part of the Tipitaka, can provide a quick and an interesting introduction to the sacred writings of the Buddhists. This consists of 423 verses in Pali uttered by the Buddha on some 305 occasions for the benefit of a wide range of human beings. These sayings were selected and compiled into a book. It is beautiful and had relevance for moulding the lives of future generations of Buddhists and very popular among both Buddhists and non-Buddhists interested in Buddhism. They are divided into 26 chapters and the stanzas are arranged according to subject matter.
For a quick reading you may click on:
http://www.serve.com/cmtan/Dhammapada/
A. The Canon
1. It is generally believed that whatever were the teachings of the Buddha in terms of dhamma, the doctrines and vinaya, the disciplines, were rehearsed soon after his death by a fairly representative body of disciples. It is this group that made up of the first council of Buddhists.
2. The threefold division of the Buddhist scriptures into Sutta, Vinaya and Abhidhamma is based on this collection and was done much later.
3. Unity of Buddha’s disciples with a common body of doctrines and disciplines lasted only about a century.
4. The Council that took place at Vesali is known as the second Buddhist Council saw the break up of this original body and as many as eighteen separate schools were known to exist by about the first century B.C.
5. It is reasonable to assume that each of these schools would have opted to possess a Tripitaka of their own, perhaps with a considerably large common core.
6. Buddha is believed to have used the language of Magadha to preach. And it is generally believed that this is what we today call the Pali language. This is why we still use the phrase “Pali Canon” to refer to the original words of Buddha.
7. There is also other Buddhist literature in Pali, mostly commentaries written by the disciples of Buddha!
8. Today besides these Pali literature connected to the teachings of Buddha there are also other Sanskrit literature and Chinese literature suggesting a fuller discussion on Buddhist scriptures must include literature on these two languages as well!
9. Tipitaka, we saw above, is divided into three categories:
a. Sutta Pitaka
b. Vinaya Pitaka
c. Abhidhamma Pitaka
1o. Sutta Pitaka includes the following five collections: (Students are not expected to commit this into memory!)
a. Digha nikāya
b. Majjhima nikāya
c. Samyutta nikāya
d. Anguttara nikāya
e. Khuddaka nikāya (which in turn has 15 books)
i. Khuddaka pātha
ii. Dhammapada
iii.
iv.
v.
…
xv. Cariyā pitaka
11. Vinaya Pitaka has five books and the fifth has further two!
12. Abhidhamma Pitaka has seven books!
B. Quotes from Dhammapada – (part of the Sutta Pitaka): (Taken from http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/dhamma.htm
1. Chapter 15, titled “Happiness”, verses 200-204: “Happy indeed we live, we who possess nothing. Feeders on joy we shall be, like the Radiant Gods. Victory begets enmity; the defeated dwell in pain. Happily the peaceful live, discarding both victory and defeat. There is no fire like lust and no crime like hatred. There is no ill like the aggregates (of existence) and no bliss higher than the peace (of Nibbana). Hunger is the worst disease, conditioned things the worst suffering. Knowing this as it really is, the wise realize Nibbana, the highest bliss. Health is the most precious gain and contentment the greatest wealth. A trustworthy person is the best kinsman, Nibbana the highest bliss.”
2. Chapter 24, titled “Craving”, verses 334-338: “The craving of one given to heedless living grows like a creeper. Like the monkey seeking fruits in the forest, he leaps from life to life (tasting the fruit of his kamma). Whoever is overcome by this wretched and sticky craving, his sorrows grow like grass after the rains. But whoever overcomes this wretched craving, so difficult to overcome, from him sorrows fall away like water from a lotus leaf. This I say to you: Good luck to all assembled here! Dig up the root of craving, like one in search of the fragrant root of the birana grass. Let not Mara crush you again and again, as a flood crushes a reed. Just as a tree, though cut down, sprouts up again if its roots remain uncut and firm, even so, until the craving that lies dormant is rooted out, suffering springs up again and again.”
3. Chapter 26, titled “The Holy Man”, verses 399-402: “He who without resentment endures abuse, beating and punishment; whose power, real might, is patience -- him do I call a holy man. He who is free from anger, is devout, virtuous, without craving, self-subdued and bears his final body — him do I call a holy man. Like water on a lotus leaf, or a mustard seed on the point of a needle, he who does not cling to sensual pleasures — him do I call a holy man. He who in this very life realizes for himself the end of suffering, who has laid aside the burden and become emancipated — him do I call a holy man.”
Questions to Explore:
1. Do you consider Buddha’s teaching on “dukka” pessimistic? Explain in detail your answer.
2. “Buddhist scriptures are old fashioned and irrelevant”. Critically comment on this statement.
3. Write short notes on the following: a. Tipitaka; b. Eightfold Path; c. Four Noble Truths; d. Tilakhana; and e. The Triple Gem.
The Dhammapada, a small part of the Tipitaka, can provide a quick and an interesting introduction to the sacred writings of the Buddhists. This consists of 423 verses in Pali uttered by the Buddha on some 305 occasions for the benefit of a wide range of human beings. These sayings were selected and compiled into a book. It is beautiful and had relevance for moulding the lives of future generations of Buddhists and very popular among both Buddhists and non-Buddhists interested in Buddhism. They are divided into 26 chapters and the stanzas are arranged according to subject matter.
For a quick reading you may click on:
http://www.serve.com/cmtan/Dhammapada/
A. The Canon
1. It is generally believed that whatever were the teachings of the Buddha in terms of dhamma, the doctrines and vinaya, the disciplines, were rehearsed soon after his death by a fairly representative body of disciples. It is this group that made up of the first council of Buddhists.
2. The threefold division of the Buddhist scriptures into Sutta, Vinaya and Abhidhamma is based on this collection and was done much later.
3. Unity of Buddha’s disciples with a common body of doctrines and disciplines lasted only about a century.
4. The Council that took place at Vesali is known as the second Buddhist Council saw the break up of this original body and as many as eighteen separate schools were known to exist by about the first century B.C.
5. It is reasonable to assume that each of these schools would have opted to possess a Tripitaka of their own, perhaps with a considerably large common core.
6. Buddha is believed to have used the language of Magadha to preach. And it is generally believed that this is what we today call the Pali language. This is why we still use the phrase “Pali Canon” to refer to the original words of Buddha.
7. There is also other Buddhist literature in Pali, mostly commentaries written by the disciples of Buddha!
8. Today besides these Pali literature connected to the teachings of Buddha there are also other Sanskrit literature and Chinese literature suggesting a fuller discussion on Buddhist scriptures must include literature on these two languages as well!
9. Tipitaka, we saw above, is divided into three categories:
a. Sutta Pitaka
b. Vinaya Pitaka
c. Abhidhamma Pitaka
1o. Sutta Pitaka includes the following five collections: (Students are not expected to commit this into memory!)
a. Digha nikāya
b. Majjhima nikāya
c. Samyutta nikāya
d. Anguttara nikāya
e. Khuddaka nikāya (which in turn has 15 books)
i. Khuddaka pātha
ii. Dhammapada
iii.
iv.
v.
…
xv. Cariyā pitaka
11. Vinaya Pitaka has five books and the fifth has further two!
12. Abhidhamma Pitaka has seven books!
B. Quotes from Dhammapada – (part of the Sutta Pitaka): (Taken from http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/dhamma.htm
1. Chapter 15, titled “Happiness”, verses 200-204: “Happy indeed we live, we who possess nothing. Feeders on joy we shall be, like the Radiant Gods. Victory begets enmity; the defeated dwell in pain. Happily the peaceful live, discarding both victory and defeat. There is no fire like lust and no crime like hatred. There is no ill like the aggregates (of existence) and no bliss higher than the peace (of Nibbana). Hunger is the worst disease, conditioned things the worst suffering. Knowing this as it really is, the wise realize Nibbana, the highest bliss. Health is the most precious gain and contentment the greatest wealth. A trustworthy person is the best kinsman, Nibbana the highest bliss.”
2. Chapter 24, titled “Craving”, verses 334-338: “The craving of one given to heedless living grows like a creeper. Like the monkey seeking fruits in the forest, he leaps from life to life (tasting the fruit of his kamma). Whoever is overcome by this wretched and sticky craving, his sorrows grow like grass after the rains. But whoever overcomes this wretched craving, so difficult to overcome, from him sorrows fall away like water from a lotus leaf. This I say to you: Good luck to all assembled here! Dig up the root of craving, like one in search of the fragrant root of the birana grass. Let not Mara crush you again and again, as a flood crushes a reed. Just as a tree, though cut down, sprouts up again if its roots remain uncut and firm, even so, until the craving that lies dormant is rooted out, suffering springs up again and again.”
3. Chapter 26, titled “The Holy Man”, verses 399-402: “He who without resentment endures abuse, beating and punishment; whose power, real might, is patience -- him do I call a holy man. He who is free from anger, is devout, virtuous, without craving, self-subdued and bears his final body — him do I call a holy man. Like water on a lotus leaf, or a mustard seed on the point of a needle, he who does not cling to sensual pleasures — him do I call a holy man. He who in this very life realizes for himself the end of suffering, who has laid aside the burden and become emancipated — him do I call a holy man.”
Questions to Explore:
1. Do you consider Buddha’s teaching on “dukka” pessimistic? Explain in detail your answer.
2. “Buddhist scriptures are old fashioned and irrelevant”. Critically comment on this statement.
3. Write short notes on the following: a. Tipitaka; b. Eightfold Path; c. Four Noble Truths; d. Tilakhana; and e. The Triple Gem.
