ME01

Buddhist Doctrines of the Pāli Nikāyas: Analysis and Interpretation

ME 01  14-03-2011          (2:00 to 3:00)

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The concept of Buddha development; Human nature, Biographical development, Supernatural powers, Transcendental nature, Bodhisattva concept, Enlightenment and Bodhisattva path.

The history of Buddhism, the Dhamma having been orally taught, there intervened between the parinirvana of lord Buddha and the committing of his teaching to writing a period of oral transmission lasting two or three contraries in the case of some scriptures. Then the monks had been authorized to learn and teach Lord Buddha’s message. When Buddhism spread outside India it came about that the scriptures were translated into the several languages, the canonical literature of Buddhism is of exclusively Indian origin. Where, when, and in what circumstance the thousands of individual texts of which it consists were first committed to writing is in most cases unknown. During the period of oral tradition the complete words of the Buddha were referred to as the Tripītaka of the Buddha’s words. These are Vīnaya, Sutra and Ᾱbhidhamma in the history of Buddhism, in the 6th B.C.

Siddhatha Gautama lived in the present-day border area between India and Nepal, this place is Lumbini, his parents are King Suddhodana and Queen Māyādevi, his first name of Siddhatha and second name is Gautama. The Buddha-hood was to be attained by human beings, not by any beings in the other realms, which is same as “becoming a Buddha as a human being”, in the night of his 29th birthday, he travels for and crosses the river Anoma together with his groom Channa, the Bodhisattva sate of the Bodhitree.

In the Mahāyāna, Mahāsanipātasuttra said “nothi me ācaṅyemutthi”, he has necessary of nibbāna. He gained, the three knowledge arhat, these are : Pubbe nivāsanusati ñāna (retro cognition), Dibba cakkhu ñāna (the divine eye), Ᾱsavakkhaya ñāna (the knowledge of the distraction of the mental influxes, and attains the Enlightenment, at the age of eighty years he died in a forest near Kusinagara, Nepal (he passes into state of Pari-Nibbana).

After the death of Lord Buddha, a Council was set up around 477 B.C, at Rājagaha. The first Council was convened under the aegis of Māgadha King Ajātasattu, he was the son of Bimbisāra, Urged on by Devadatta- the Buddha’s cousin, who wished to use Ajātasattu support.

In which too 5oo immediate disciples Buddha under the president ship of Mahākasspa Thera collected. In the first Council he came the basis for deciding the dispute that arose 100 years after the Mahāparinibbāna of the Buddha when the Vajjiputtaka monks were found practicing the Dasavatthuni-dhammas, contrary to the Vinaya rules. They are-

(i.)     Singilonakappa – the practice of carrying salt in a horn, 

          i.e. storing articles of food;
(ii.)    Dvangulakappa – the practice of taking meals when the shadow is two
         fingers broad,
         i.e, taking meals after midday,
(iii.)   Gāmantarakappa – the practice of going to an adjacent village and

         taking meals there the same day for the second time,
(iv.)   Ᾱvāsakappa – the observance of the Uposatha ceremonies in various
         places in the same parish(sima),

(v.)    Anumātikappa - doing a deed and obtaining its sanction afterwards;
(vi.)   Ᾱciññakappa - the customary practices as precedent;
(vii.)  Ᾱmathitakappa - drinking of butter-milk after meals;
(viii.) Jalogimpatum - drinking of today,
(ix.)   Ᾱdāsakam nisidanam - use of a rug without a finger, and
(x.)    Jātarūparajātaṁ - acceptance of gold and silver.

Of course the dissenters with the decision of this Council parted away from the Mūlasangha and declared themselves as Mahāsangīka. Thus occurred the first schism which divided the early Buddhist Sangha into two primitive schools; the Theravada and the Mahāsangīka. The existence of the “Mahāvastu Avadāna” a bulky Vīnaya work of the ‘lokoṭṭaravādis’, they are followed Mahāsangika. The Vinaya Pītaka contains, the teaching of the Buddha regarding the rules of conduct of monks, and the Buddha teach the middle point of Buddhist man.

In the sutta Pītaka, the Aṅguttara Nikāya, in tikandakāvagga - one liberates from same āsavas, being with occasional Jhāna attainment samayavimutta (the occasionally delivered) monk, the Pāli Ᾱbhidhamma (Puggalapaññatti) define eight categories; Samayavimutta, Asamayavimutta, Kupadhamma, Akuppadhamma, Parihinadhamma, Aparihinadhamam, Cetanabhabba and Anarakkannabhabba, it mentions the abhayato bhāgavimutta and the paññvimutta separately, i.e. the two arhats defined as such in the Nikāya.

“Pancime bhikkhave panca dhamma samayavimuttassa bhikkuno aparihanaya samvattanti;”
And pointed to Arahatta in the Kathāvattu, this included the seven texts.
          They are-
      1. Parihāyati arahā arahattā,
      2. Atthi arahato aññanan,
      3. Atthi arahato pravitāranā,
      4. Atthi arahato kaǹkha,
      5. Atthi arahato kammaramata.

Second Buddhist Council was held at Vaisāli in 337 B.C, The Vajjian monks held Council at Kosambi in competition with former. They were called Mahāsangika. The Mahāyana idea which condemns Arahant idea and prefers Bodhisattva’s idea came out, There is a Mahāyana also Guhya. According to the second Council is said to have been converged about of the differences of opinions among the monk in regard to the five dogmas, they are-
(i)    An Arahat may commit a sin under unconscious temptation.
(ii)   One may be an Arahat and not know it.
(iii)  An Arahat may have doubts on matters of doctrine .
(iv)  One cannot attain Arahatship without the aid of a teacher and
(v)   The noble ways may being by shout, that is, one meditating seriously 

        on religion may make such reclamation as “How sad! How sad!’ – etc.,

by Ashin Indaka(Kyone Pyaw)