The Buddha and his Teachings, according to Suttas in the Pali Canon

[samferguson]

RK - Religious Knowledge. I was the first batch of students who did this subject.

The teachers from our schools were sent for some "crash course" and then came back to teach us. The syllabus and content was an amalgamation of the two main traditions here (Theravada and Mahayana), though only the history and main teachings were covered. There were English and Chinese classes/subjects (Buddhist Studies/佛学). I took the English one; they used Sanskrit instead of Pali for the names and technical terms.

Unfortunate. For my school a monk from a Buddhist college was sent to teach the course.

 

[bigrooster]

Unfortunate. For my school a monk from a Buddhist college was sent to teach the course.

I see. Your era might be more recent. 90s ++?

 

[samferguson]

I see. Your era might be more recent. 90s ++?

Yes. In the late 80s to be more exact. Though I did not choose Buddhist studies lol. I chose Confucius ethics instead.

 

[bigrooster]

In Post #4 on the 4 Noble Truths, the 1st Noble Truth of Suffering is: birth, ageing, illness, death, union with what is displeasing, separation from what is pleasing, not to get what one wants, i.e. the 5 aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.

From first look, birth, ageing, illness, death, union with what is displeasing, separation from what is pleasing, not to get what one wants are suffering.

However, the crucial point is actually: the 5 aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.

How so?

It is because we identify ourselves with the 5 aggregates (due to ignorance, we identify ourselves with them because of wrong view - personal identity view) that we think that (1) form is me and belongs to me, (2) feeling is me and belongs to me, (3) perception ..., (4) volitional formations ..., (5) consciousness is me and belongs to me and cling onto them (resulting from craving and intensifies to clinging/grasping). When things change, our so-called "self" ages/falls sick/is dying, we suffer. This kind of suffering is mental.

The awakened ones like the Buddha and the Arahants - their existential being is similarly made up of the 5 aggregates (due to old kamma), but they no longer suffer and were liberated. Because they did not identify with it and cling to it.

Reference 1: Post #166 - clinging aggregates and sutta
Reference 2: Post #97 - diagrammatic depiction of the 5 aggregates

 

[bigrooster]

Yes. In the late 80s to be more exact. Though I did not choose Buddhist studies lol. I chose Confucius ethics instead.

During my time, Confucius studies was also the most popular choice.

 

[samferguson]

During my time, Confucius studies was also the most popular choice.

They should bring back religious studies. Just look at the behavior of youths and young adults now. 犹如断了线的风筝。

 

[bigrooster]

They should bring it back. Just look at the behavior of youths and young adults now.
犹如短了线的风筝。

Last time got RK and (好)公民.

Now I see many 上樑不正下樑歪.

 

[Ironside]

I like this lecture.

 

[Ironside]

Did the Buddha taught Abhidhamma?

 

[bigrooster]

Did the Buddha taught Abhidhamma?

In the suttas, the Buddha repeatedly said he taught Dhamma-Vinaya (teachings and discipline, in short). We do find rare Abhidhammic-type of text and classifications in the suttas, e.g. the 5th form-sphere jhāna, but we don't see common tinge of Abhidhamma in the Sutta Pitaka. E.g. the Nāmarūpa definition in the Sutta and Abhidhamma are different.

According to commentaries, the Buddha taught Abhidhamma, i.e. he taught Abhidhamma to the devas at Tāvatiṃsa Heaven, and his late birth mother, who was reborn as a deva in Tusita Heaven, come down to listen to the teachings. The Abhidhamma was subsequently taught to one of his chief disciple, Ven. Sāriputta.

Whether the Buddha directly taught Abhidhamma or not, if one was able to attain liberation by virtue of studying, contemplating, and practising according to the Suttas or Abhidhamma or both, in accordance to the 4 Noble Truths, it does not matter that much what happened nearly 2600 years ago. After all, all the suttas in existence today went through thousand of years of oral transmission, compilation, classification, and then written transmission; omissions and additions especially during later years are to be expected.

So, @Ironside , do you think the Buddha taught Abhidhamma?

 

[Ironside]

In the suttas, the Buddha repeatedly said he taught Dhamma-Vinaya (teachings and discipline, in short). We do find rare Abhidhammic-type of text and classifications in the suttas, e.g. the 5th form-sphere jhāna, but we don't see common tinge of Abhidhamma in the Sutta Pitaka. E.g. the Nāmarūpa definition in the Sutta and Abhidhamma are different.

According to commentaries, the Buddha taught Abhidhamma, i.e. he taught Abhidhamma to the devas at Tāvatiṃsa Heaven, and his late birth mother, who was reborn as a deva in Tusita Heaven, come down to listen to the teachings. The Abhidhamma was subsequently taught to one of his chief disciple, Ven. Sāriputta.

Whether the Buddha directly taught Abhidhamma or not, if one was able to attain liberation by virtue of studying, contemplating, and practising according to the Suttas or Abhidhamma or both, in accordance to the 4 Noble Truths, it does not matter that much what happened nearly 2600 years ago. After all, all the suttas in existence today went through thousand of years of oral transmission, compilation, classification, and then written transmission; omissions and additions especially during later years are to be expected.

So, @Ironside , do you think the Buddha taught Abhidhamma?

I think he did not.

 

[chintokkong]

Many Buddhists meditate. Meditation is not superstitious, it's psychology inclined. Anyway, the ultimate aim of Buddhism is liberation from rebirth in 6 realms. One is spiritual myopia if one thinks that Buddhism is a way of life or training the mind and overlooks the big matter of life and death.

Just in case there are some interested in Mahayana Buddhism context, the ultimate aim is liberation from both samsaric birth-and-death and also transformational birth-and-death (不思议变易生死 acintya-pāriṇāmikī-cyuti).

This is one of the differences between Sravakayana Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism.

 

[Ironside]

This chain in the sutta,
Mindfulness > analysis of phenomenon > energy > rapture > happiness > concentration > equanimity

1) Why does analysis of phenomenon leads to energy?

2) what does energy in this equation means?

 

[bigrooster]

This chain in the sutta,
Mindfulness > analysis of phenomenon > energy > rapture > happiness > concentration > equanimity

1) Why does analysis of phenomenon leads to energy?

2) what does energy in this equation means?

7 Factors of Enlightenment

1. Dhammavicaya - when practising mindfulness (as in 4 Foundations of Mindfulness), one contemplates body, feeling, mind, mental phenomena. When wholesome and unwholesome mental states arise, one takes note and is able to discriminate these states and analyse them. e.g. On the Citta, when lust arise, one is mindful and knows that the mind is a mind with lust; e.g. when remorse cropped up, one is mindful of the mental state/phenomena. The active application of the discriminating and analysis leads to arousal, of effort, of exertion (as oppose to sloth and torpor).
2. Viriya - translated as enery, effort, exertion. Similar to Right Effort in the Noble Eightfold Path in another context.

 

[Ironside]

Just in case there are some interested in Mahayana Buddhism context, the ultimate aim is liberation from both samsaric birth-and-death and also transformational birth-and-death (不思议变易生死 acintya-pāriṇāmikī-cyuti).

This is one of the differences between Sravakayana Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism.

It is not one is buddhahood and the other to be arahant?

 

[chintokkong]

It is not one is buddhahood and the other to be arahant?

Yup, cessation of samsaric birth-and-death is arahant. Cessation of also transformational birth-and-death is buddha.

 

[Ironside]

Yup, cessation of samsaric birth-and-death is arahant. Cessation of also transformational birth-and-death is buddha.

But there will only be one Buddha at any one very long period of time. Sometimes no Buddha, until the next one appears.

 

[chintokkong]

But there will only be one Buddha at any one very long period of time. Sometimes no Buddha, until the next one appears.

Yah, supposedly only one nirmanakaya of Buddha manifested to turn the dharma wheel. Next one is supposed to be Maitreya.

 

[mocax]

got one monk Ajahn Brahm, he summarized the whole pali scripture into concised english version, without the repetition.
got the PDF for download, can search for "The Word of the Buddha"

 

[MyWill]

Buddha was born a hindu prince. And he go start practicing when he reached adulthood and have wife and kids.

The entire pali canon was recited by him during that limited lifetime when he kickstart buddism from scratch. U guys really believe? I mean it was supposed to be from scratch, not addition to previous teaching, right?