The Teachings of the Buddha (lectured by ven. Dehipagoda Vijitananda) 2011
Buddhism is one of the ever greatest doctrines which have sprung-up in the world. It was the highest resent of the ascetic tradition in the 6th century B.C. in India.
After renunciation Prince Siddhattha attained his major goal in his 35th year of age, and started the missionary program with Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta or setting in motion the wheel of the reality of the world. Since this sermon or discourse Buddha continued for 45 years. His mission was on behalf of general people who were suffering because of committing wrong actions in Saṃsāra. That teaching has been classified as follows:
1. Sentiment of Liberation (Rasavasena)
2. Discourses and orders (Dhammavinayavasena)
3. First word, middle word, last word. (Pathama, Majjhima, Pacchimavasena)
4. Three fold (Piṭakavasena)
5. As five sections (Nikāyavasena)
6. As portions or parts (Rasavasena)
7. As portions of Dhamma (Dhammakkhandavasena)
The above formations cropped up gradually in Theravāda tradition. Every part has an exact identification as three categories. Those were sort into 7 parts. Buddhaghosa had been confused by one part of teaching of the Buddha. It is clear that a statement can be caught from several places of the Sutta and Vinaya Piṭaka. One of them is:
“Adhigato kho mayā Dhammo” in Brāhmaṇa Saṃyutta of Saṃyutta Nikāya. Cakkavatti Sīhanāda Sutta also gives one example for the usage of Dhamma: “Dhammadīpa viharatha bhikkhave dhamma saranā.” In accordance with this evidence we may say that portion of Dhamma was missed by Buddhaghosa in his Sumaṅgala Vilāsinī, the commentary of the Dīgha Nikāya.
Dhammavasena
A part from Buddhagosa’s classification of teaching of Buddha which mentioned seven parts, there is the most historic term, i.e., Dhamma. Especially Brāhmaṇa Saṃyutta of Saṃyutta Nikāya gives “Adhigato kho mayaṃ dhammo,” a statement assuring that there were not both Dhamma and Vinaya in the beginning of the first part of the Buddha's life. Cakkavattisīhanāda Sutta also gives some affirmation of Dhamma as “Dhammadīpa” of “Viharatha dhamma saranā”. In Vinaya Piṭaka we can see
“Alaṃ, bhikkave, mā bhaṅḍanaṅ, mā kalahaṅ, mā viggahaṅ, mā vivadanti, evam vutte aññataro adhaṃmavādī bhikku bhagavaṅtaṅ etadavoca.”
It also mentions only adhammavādī, not avinayavādī. Therefore, it is clear that when we examine carefully canonical literature we may come to a conclusion that the most historic term was Dhamma, for the teaching of the Buddha. But as far as Buddhaghosa is concerned, this is not how Dhamma was taught.
Rasavasena
The Dhamma expanded into Dhamma and Vinaya with the increase of monks from various societies. Vinaya (discipline or order) was introduced by the Buddha after his first 20 years of enlightenment. But it is not clear what the time of the origin of Vinaya is. The third division is explain in the two ways as paṭhama, majjhima, pacchima, “Thus was the first utterance” But the Buddha never classified his teachings that way. Therefore, it is clear that this division belongs entirely to Buddhagosa as he introduced this division as his own view. According to his view the first utterance of Buddha was:
“Aneka jāti saṅsāraṅ saṅdhā vissaṅ anibbhisan ...”
Apart from the above, strange, additional views were also held by Buddhagosa. Thus the commentary on three suttas of Bodhivagga in the Udāna Pāli belonged to first utterance of Buddha, They are as follows:
1. ‘‘Yadā have pātubhavanti dhammā,
Ātāpino jhāyato brāhmaṇassa;
Athassa kaṅkhā vapayanti sabbā,
Yato pajānāti sahetudhamma’’nti.”
2. ‘‘Yadā have pātubhavanti dhammā,
Ātāpino jhāyato brāhmaṇassa;
Athassa kaṅkhā vapayanti sabbā,
Yato khayaṃ paccayānaṃ avedī’’ti.
3. ‘‘Yadā have pātubhavanti dhammā,
Ātāpino jhāyato brāhmaṇassa;
Vidhūpayaṃ tiṭṭhati mārasenaṃ,
Sūriyova [suriyova (sī. syā. kaṃ. pī.)] obhāsayamantalikkha’’nti.
Among those two views the most acceptable choice may be second one which is in the Udāna Pāli, because first stanza shows some later poetical significances. But the last three stanzas give us very deep doctrinal teaching. Although these three stanzas contrast in the suttas, the first stanza has not been identified in any sutta anywhere in Sutta Piṭaka, in which case we may come to the conclusion that the second one is more acceptable as the first utterance of the Buddha.
Theravāda traditionally accepts that the final word of the Buddha was “handadāni, bhikkhave, āmantayāmi vo, vayadhammā saṅkhārā, appamāādena sampādetha.”of Mahāparinibbāna Sutta in Dīganikāya. Everything between first uttering and final word of the Buddha is majjima or middle preaching. It is clear that this division was also confused by Buddhaghosa.
Piṭakavasena
The third division is Tipiṭaka. “three fold baskets”. According to Pāli, the term Tipiṭaka means Sutta Piṭaka, Vinaya Piṭaka and Abhidhamma Piṭaka. This was introduced tradition of suttas, which means all discourses of Buddha. Vinaya means all orders of Buddha. Abhidhamma means the highest doctrine of the Buddhism.
Nikāyavasena Pañcavidhaṃ (Nikāya = part, section, collection)
All Buddha’s teaching was put into five parts as Nikāya, by Buddhagosa in his interpretation. But that division also provides us some confusions in the matter of teaching of the Buddha. Though it mentions only discourses in the quality of suttas, some middle length suttas are actually longer than long discourses. Therefore, it is not clear that the division of nikāya vasena is somewhat correct one. In the wake of this dividing, Vinaya and Abhidhamma were parts of Khuddaka Nikāya, by Buddhagosa. It’s more unfair explanation and introduction of Buddhagosa.
Aṅgavasena navavidhaṃ (by division, nine-fold)
The nine fold division included in Alagaddūpama Sutta of Majjima Nikāya or Paharāda Sutta of Aṅguttara Nikāya etc. - there was no explanation of what sutta is, what geyya is,what the veyyakaraṇa is etc. In the commentaries Buddhagosa has tried to put all teaching of the Buddha in to nine fold components. However, his effort was not successful. It is clear, that his work was not successful. It is clear, that his work was unnecessary and thus of not much significance. Especially in the veyyākaraṇa, geyya, abbhūtadhamma, we can suppose that Buddhagosa was confused when elaborating those components.
Caturāsītisahassavidhaṃ (eighty-four thousand elements)
The last division of Buddhagosa is named as caturāsītisahassa dhammakkhandha or 84000 which was a numerical system used by Brahmanism. Brāhmans always preferred to emphasize their teaching through the numerical system. As an influence of that in Buddhist literature there are also provided some numerical explanations, Aṅguttara Nikāya would be a shining example for it.
The teaching of the Buddha is introduced as 84 000 elements, it was included in Elders’ Verses (Theragāthā Pāli) as the earliest evidence. The stanza given by Ven. Ānanda is included in Ānanda Theragāthā in the 1027th stanza as follows:
“Dvāsīti buddhato gaṇhiṃ, dve sahassāni bhikkhuto;
Caturāsītisahassāni, ye me dhammā pavattino.”
This stanza makes proving historicity of such a division quite easy, maybe even that it is from the time contemporary to the Buddha himself. This concept was very popular in the Asoka’s era. He made 84 000 stūpas to commemorate those comments.
