The Pali Canon

The Pali Canon

1. Tipitaka (Three Baskets)

   • Vinaya Pitaka
     • Monastic Rules and regulations
     • The Basket of Dsicipline
     • Explains and analyzes the rules set forth for monks and nuns to follow in their daily life.
       • There are several hundred rules set forward that are concerned with basic morality, and other essentials for successful life in the Sangha such as robe making and nun- monk interactions.
     • Textual framework on which the Sangha is built
       • Including the Patimokka, the rules governing the life of Bhikkus and Bhikkuinis and ways to support harmonious relations between the monastics themselves and the monastics and lay people.
     • The Buddha had to lay down the Vinaya as the Sangha grew into a more complex society.
       • This was because sometimes monks would act in an unskillful way.
     • The monastic tradition and rules can be criticised for being irrelevant to modern practise of Buddhism.
       • However it is thanks to the unbroken lineage of monastics, that the teachings of the Dhamma have been preserved.
       • They can also be criticised as many Buddhists in modern times are lay Buddhists and don't need the Vinaya rules.
         • However Lay buddhists can find valuable lessons on human nature and guidance on how to live in a harmonious community in the Vinaya Pitaka.
   • Sutta Pitaka
     • Direct (in a relaxed way) teachings and discourses of the Buddha
   • Abhidhamma Pitaka
     • Philosophical and psychological teachings

2. The Councils involvement in setting up the Pali Canon

   • The First Council
     • 500 Arhats met to agree on the contents of the Vinaya and the Dharma( Sutta Pitaka)
     • Ananda attended the council and recited the Sutras. Upali was there to recite the Vinaya rules.
       • "Thus I have heard"
     • The teachings were debated and a definitive version was agreed upon, however it is not known whether this is the genuine word of the Buddha.
       • The Vinaya and the Sutta were agreed upon but only orally .
       • These teachings form the basis of all forms of Buddhism.
       • The Buddhas teachings remained an oral tradition for more than four centuries. This accounts for the stylistic devices as they would make memorisation easier.
     • After the council all of the Arhats went back to their respective Sanghas and spread the teachings, translated them into local languages, and split them up to give the responsibility to different monks.
   • The Second Council
     • 100 years after the Buddhas Parinirvana
     • Some monks were becoming relaxed when it came to following the Vinaya rules e.g. they were accepting silver and gold from the laity.
     • There was disagreement between the Mahasanghikas and the Sthaviravadins. This is where the differences between Mahayana and Therevada originated from.
       • The Sthravadins demanded more monastic unity, such as wearing a uniform and all following the same rules.
       • The Mahasanghikas believed that being an Arhat was selfish, and they also focused on the magical aspects of the Buddha, rather than his more human features.
       • The traditional schools saw the Buddha as a human who was able to attain enlightenment, which could also be easily achieved by monks if they followed the moanstic rules and practised the teaching.
         • The Mahasanghikas saw this as too individualistic and selfish, the only true goal was to reach full Buddhahood.
   • The Third Council
     • Held 16 years later by Emperor Ashoka
     • It was used to remove any undesirable elements of the Sangha, such as lax monks.
       • This meant that the integrity of the Sangha was maintained.
     • The dispute between the two schoold developed and eventually a divide in the Sangha fully occurred.
       • The fragmentation continued, around 18 schools arose in India.
         • Each had its own version of what the Buddha taught and different views on how it should be interpretted.
         • The Buddha never taught in a philosophiical way, however some of the schools tried to develop his teachings into philosophical systems.
   • The Fourth Council
     • It was held in the Aloka cave in 1 BC.
     • The entire scriptual canon was rehearsed, revised and committed to writing on palm leaves.

3. Origins of the Pali Canon

   • While the Buddha was alive Ananda was tasked with memorising each of his teachings and discourses. He remebered them so they could be preserved for the following generations.
   • Upali had to remember the Vinaya rules set out by the Buddha.
   • After the death of the Buddha many of the monks went their own separate ways, and their practises changed. There was one monk who had just been ordained even though he was older than many of the other monks, and he told them that now the Buddha had died they could do whatever they wanted. Another monk, Mahakassapa, said that if they lost the discipline of the monastic community, the whole idea of Buddhism would be destroyed. Due to this he called a council. The council decided that the teachings needed to be preserved, so all the monks who had reached enlightenment were taken to a meeting.
     • They required 500 Arhats for the meeting but only had 499, the night before the meeting, Ananda became enlightened and was allowed to attend the meeting.
     • At this meeting they decided that the Vinaya rules were the most important to be recordered first as without these there would vbe no order within the monastics and if there was no discipline, the rest of the teachings would be lost. If lazy, selfish monks were artound they wouldn't pass on and preserve the teaching, just the ones they were willing to practise/follow.
     • Upali was invited to the meeting to recite the Vinaya rules so the Arhats could memorise them and teach their students to pass it on, hence the importance of lineage within the Buddhists schools.
   • After the death of the Buddha, his remains were cremated and ditributed to a number of different sites. As the Buddha did not promote himself as a leader there was no successor. Instead he advised that his followers turned to the Dharma for help.

4. Buddhism is not a "Book" religion.

   • Long oral phase, changes will have crept in over this time.
   • There is no certainty to the words of the Buddha as they were remembered by one man alone at the start.
   • Buddhism doesn't claim to have any divinely inspired teachings.

5. Uses of the Pali Canon

   • The Pali Canon is the basis of all the teachings of all schools and traditions of Buddhism
   • Practical Uses
     • Reading Extracts as a part of Worship
     • Chanting of a line or whole section as a part of worship or a s a devotional practice.
   • Meditational Uses
     • The central source of authority for Buddhist belief and practice.
     • The Four Noble truths, Eightfold Path etc are contained in the Pali Canon.
     • The Pali Canon is where the three refuges are preserved.
       • The Pali Canon is the dwelling place of the Buddha, they are our teacher on the Buddha's behalf after his Final Nibbana. From this perspective Buddhists can still have an audience with the Buddhas, thousands of years after his death.
       • The Pali canon performs the duty of the Dharma.
       • The Pali Canon is where the Sangha is accomodated. The rules laid down in the Pali Canon re the complete foundations of the Sangha.
     • The Sutras include in vivid detail, the experience of achieving and striving for enlightenment. This gives followers inspiration.