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Classical LanguagesThe Theravada branch of Buddhism uses Pali as its sacred tongue. In Pali, the word for scripture is sutta. The Mahayana uses Sanskrit, and there the pronunciation is sutra. These words are often translated as Discourse in English (lecture is not appropriate here, as no reading was involved, and sermon has a connotation of admonition or scolding.) Besides the two Indian classical languages, Chinese and Tibetan also played important roles in the preservation of the Buddhist canon. The Buddha enjoined his disciples to separate and go to different places and teach in the local languages, so right from the beginning there arose various versions and translations of his discourses. He also told his listeners and students to question and to test his teachings like a jeweller would test yellow metal. There are three main traditions as to what constitutes the canon, or the body of Buddhist scripture: the Theravada, the Chinese and the Tibetan. [Link is to an appendix to The Buddhist Religion, 4th ed.] They all contain words of the Buddha and those of his students. The Various EditionsThe Tibetan canon of essential Buddhist scripture consists of two parts called the Kangyur (or Kanjur, sp. bKángjur) ie, "Translation of the Buddha's Word" or the sutras, and the Tangyur (sp. bStan-'gyur) that is, "Translations of Teachings" -- traditional commentaries. There are a number of popular Tibetan editions; each is designated by place
of publication as the Co-ne, the Derge [sDe-dge] and the Narthang
editions. The Bonpos also have a version of Kangyur-and-Tanjur, and the various Tibetan Buddhist denominations each consider their version to be the essential one. This is only to be expected since each school includes the foundational teachings of, and the elucidations by, their own realized masters. For example, Nyingmapas emphasize the teachings of Padmasambhava. But even the Sarma or "New Translations" schools present differences in the contents of the Canon. Kagyu Essential Texts
also, Buddha Nature: The Uttaratantra Shastra. Maitreya, Jamgon Kongtrul, Kh. Tsultrim. Hevajra Tantra Concealed Essence by Farrow. Profound Inner Meaning in 2 texts, restricted to those who have had the transmission. The Ocean of Certainty (Ocean of Definitive Meaning) commentary by Thrangu Rinpoche. Shantideva's Bodhisattvacharyavatara transl. by the Wallaces. Gampopa's Jewel Ornament of Liberation. With commentary by Thrangu Rinpoche.
Tashi Namgyal's
Mahamudra (2006 edition.) What's in Famous Scriptures
Besides telling us that there were buddhas from time immemorial such as:
Here we get the account of their self-discovery:
The Buddha tells in detail the steps he took on his way to his achievement. It describes his early yoga practice and what went through his mind. Until, in the third watch of the night:
We see from the translation that it is not clear what the cause of death was. Also, if the expression pig’s delight is an accurate translation, the meal does not refer to pork; truffles, maybe?
Digha Nikaya or The Longer Discourses, pre-100 BCE. In the Kevatta Sutta or, Kevaddha Sutra (DN 11) learning, understanding and applying the Dharma is said by Buddha to be superior to the attainment of any siddhi or magical power. Here, the householder Kevatta suggests that more people would join up if the Master would cause his monks to perform miracles. Buddha Shakyamuni replies that there are 3 skills that he, himself, has perfected:
1. Magical power is the ability, before an audience, to multiply one's form and then become just one again, or to travel to the various realms and then to return. The thing is, says the Buddha, people tend to say to a witness of this sort of thing, that the miraculous abilities are due to "the Gandharan [Hellenic-Persian, ie. Greek] charm." (We might say, "It's a Secret of the Mysterious East", or an example of the powers of "Himalayan Masters.") 2. If some monk were to demonstrate the ability to read the minds of others, again some sceptic would disparage this ability, too, saying "Anyone who has the Manika charm can do the same." 3. But through the miracle of instruction, the monk says what to do, how to do it and explains the result that will be obtained. And anyone who follows the method will get the same beneficial result. In other words, if you follow the instruction, you get the result. It is tried and true, and it works for anyone. That, said the Buddha, is a true miracle! The sutra goes on however, after listing all the types of fortune-telling or prognostication that it is not suitable for a follower to do, to speak of abilities that can be achieved by those who discipline themselves according to the Buddha's instruction. Having learned mindfulness and non-attachment, the person can go on to the four jnanas [Skt: dhyanas] or wisdoms -- stages of meditative accomplishment that begin in bliss and culminate with insight into the nature of mind. Then, the practitioner having attained imperturbability and the cessation of "fermentation" in which thoughts breed more thoughts that breed consequences, and so on -- then he or she can see, fly, or appear and disappear, view past lives, perceive the thoughts of others, achieve the mind-created body and, understanding that even the elements have no inherent existence, can converse with beings of other realms. And this is achieved through the only miracle performed by a Buddha -- the miracle of instruction!
This discourse focuses on the workings of aspects of existence that keep us bound to the system of sequential existence. That is, the aspects as they are depicted in the diagram of the Wheel of Rebirth: birth, becoming, clinging, aging and death, "name-and-form", and so on. It also includes the seven stages of [beings according to their] consciousness and the two spheres: those that are non-percipient and those that neither perceive nor not-perceive, so that one may speak of eight emancipations in someone who is truly free.
Here the Buddha speaks of contemplation using four frames of reference: Body, Feelings, Mind [meditation] and the "mental qualities" or attitudes. It ends somewhat humorously as the Master says that if you practice in that way you can achieve enlightenment or at least, release from samsara, in 7 years -- or six -- or even five, and so on down to a couple of weeks.
King Ajatasatru (Pali: Ajatasattu) was the sponsor of the First Buddhist Council. He was the son of King Bimbisara of Magadha (Bengal) Buddha Shakyamuni's patron, but he was also an ally of Devatta, the Buddha's murderous rival. He decides to go and see the Buddha to ask some questions. The Buddha explains to him patiently all the details and benefits of practicing his teachings. In a dramatic and even touching description of the King's setting out to visit the Teacher whose camp near the capital Rajgriha is so quiet, we learn of the ruler's anxiety. He even fears there is an ambush. The Buddha gently begins by reminding Ajatasatru that he had asked questions about the teachings before and on several occasions, and in his skilful way he asks him to tell what he had heard before.
______________________________________________________________ Pali: The word “Pali” originally designated the scriptures themselves. The language spoken by the Buddha, which was a dialect similar to Sanskrit, ought to be called "Maghadhi." Akusala: a play on the name of the Indian province, Kosala, which was home to the Kalama family
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Uttaratantra Shastra (