Buddhadhamma and Buddhasaasanaa

 

When we listen to another speak about any subject, the Buddha said to consider, “is this person speaking the truth?” When we listen to another speak about the Buddha’s teaching, the Buddha said to consider, “is this person saying the Buddha said something that he didn’t, that is, is this person misrepresenting the Buddha?” The Buddha did not say to consider “Is this person a monk, or is this person Thai?”

 

During this time I have with you, I’d like to explain why I believe this: “The Buddha is the unexcelled teacher of those looking for guidance.”

อะนุตตะโร ปุริสะทัมมะสาระถิ

 

In the past, I used to chant this and I didn’t know what I was chanting. Then I learnt the meaning and I chanted it thinking I really knew what it meant. Then I found out this marvelous thing about the Buddha’s teaching that no monk or lay teacher told me. I believe it is the key to understanding the Buddhadhamma and the key is in two parts.

 

The first part is this saying about Dependent Origination that I think you all know:
[MN 28 : M i 191]

 

"Whoever sees Dependent Origination sees the Dhamma, whoever sees the Dhamma sees Dependent Origination"

 

 

 

In that saying the Buddha makes clear that Dependent Origination is the heart of his teaching.

 

Not many monks know that Dependent Origination has two sides. We usually only hear about the first side. The TWO sides are seen at SN 12.23 : S ii 29-33, The Upanisa Sutta. Buddhadaasa Bhikkhu saw this teaching of the Buddha too and he taught about it.

 

The first side, which we usually hear about, shows how suffering originates. It could be called “the origination of suffering” or “the way into suffering”. The second side shows how suffering can be stopped. It could be called “the cessation of suffering” or “the way out of suffering”. In brief, the Upanisa Sutta goes like this:

 

 

We all know this verse that we chant twice a day sometimes more:

 

Svaakaato Bhagavataa Dhammo, sandi.t.thiko, akaaliko, ehipassiko, opanaayiko

 

สวากขาตโ ภะคะวะตา ธัโมม สันทิฏฐิโก อะกาลิโก เอหิปัสสิโก โอปะนะยิกโ

 

Here the Buddha said the Dhamma leads on [from one thing to the next]. We can see that in Dependent Origination, each link leads on to the next. Since this is a feature of Dependent Origination, it is also a feature of the whole Buddhadhamma. I do not accept that the Noble Eightfold Path items or the Three Trainings can be changed around and I will show why later.

 

The second part of the key is an instruction from the Buddha. He gave this instruction or duty to us, who maintain the original teaching, to help us protect the original teaching from corruption. It is found in the Paasaadika Sutta DN 29 : D iii 127:

 

"All you to whom I have taught these truths that I have realised by super-knowledge should come together and recite them, setting meaning beside meaning and expression beside expression, without dissension, in order that this sublime life may continue and be established for a long time for the profit and happiness of the many."

 

 

 

This is a simple example of this method of comparison:

 

This is another simple example with a different number of items:

 

Most of the suttas the Buddha taught are showing the way OUT of suffering, the Path to the Ending of Suffering, for example the Noble Eightfold Path. Therefore we can compare the second side of Dependent Origination to those suttas. When we do this we can see how each of those suttas teaches Dependent Origination in a different way.

 

By this method of comparison, we can see that each sutta is a thread of Dependent Origination. To have a clear understanding of Dependent Origination I need to compare many suttas with each other. Then the Dhamma will be a strong rope for me to use to pull myself out of suffering. One sutta by itself is weak and will not be enough for me to use to understand and practice properly.

 

 

The Buddha was wise, that’s why he taught: ”all conditioned things are impermanent” “sabbe sankhaaraa anniccaa”. Buddhasaasanaa is recorded in peoples’ memory and in books etc. It is a conditioned thing. [Buddha-] Dhamma is to be seen in life, in nature. It is not conditioned. Buddhasaasanaa changes, but Buddhadhamma does not change. The Buddha knew his teaching [Buddhasaasanaa] was impermanent and would change over time, therefore I believe, with compassion he gave us this two part key to help identify and correct changes.

 

Many Buddhists believe that the Buddhasaasanaa will last only 5,000 years. Since it is now the year 2251, we are already past middle way. If the Buddhasaasanaa is conditioned and impermanent, there must be some changes in the Buddhasaasanaa already. If there are no changes, then we cannot truly say it is impermanent.

 

I believe Dependent Origination is the heart of the Buddha’s teaching. I don’t believe that has changed. So we can compare Dependent Origination to other teachings. If we find the order of items in a teaching do not match Dependent Origination, then I think that other teaching we are comparing has changed.

 

Using this method of study, I am glad to say, I have found very few teachings in the Pali texts that do not perfectly match Dependent Origination. Most match perfectly and very few seem to have minor differences, which can be understood by comparing other teachings.

 

See the example above, where items 8 and 9 of the 10 Fetters have been changed around. This has been done to match the Three Trainings [Tisikkhaa] – see this comparative table.

 

An early attempt to use this method of comparison is well known. It was by Dhammadinna Bhikkhunii with the Three Trainings - Tisikkhaa and the Noble Eightfold Path [A.t.thangika Ariya Magga] in the Culavedalla Sutta - MN 44. It goes like this:

 

Panynyaa – Wisdom	Right View
	Right Resolve
Siila – Ethics	Right Action
	Right Speech
	Right Livelihood
Samaadhi – Meditation	Right Effort
	Right Mindfulness
	Right Meditation/Concentration

 

This explanation requires a change the order of the Tisikkhaa, but since the Dhamma “leads onwards” we should not change the order of items. Siila leads to Samaadhi which leads to Panynyaa, just like each link of Dependent Origination leads to the next.

 

Right View in the Noble Eightfold Path is, understanding cause and effect theoretically, which leads us to develop Ethics and asking various teachers what the way to end suffering is. Then we must test what they said. If what they taught is true and we test it in our experience, then we develop Right View based on experience. This is called Right Insight or Wisdom. It is different from Right View. We see things as they really are. We see it in our own life, in our experience. It is no longer just a theory.

 

The Hindus believe the equanimity developed through meditation is Liberation, but in Theravada Buddhism it is well known that, with the calm clear mind developed in Meditation, one must then develop Insight. Therefore Meditation or Samadhi is not the last step of the path and it is not the last training to be done.

 

There is another explanation of the Path from the Buddha in the Sutta Pi.taka called the Ariya Magga or Sammata [D iii 271, 292; M i 42; A v 212 etc]. It has another two steps after Sammaa Samaadhi. [Theoretical] Right View is at the start and Right Insight [or Right View based on experience] comes after the practice of Meditation.

 

When we compare Ariya Magga or Sammata with the Tisikkhaa, we don’t need to change the order of Tisikkhaa. The comparison goes like this:

 

	Right View
	Right Resolve
Siila – Ethics	Right Action
	Right Speech
	Right Livelihood
Samaadhi - Meditation	Right Effort
	Right Mindfulness
	Right Meditation/Concentration
Panynyaa - Wisdom	Right Insight สัมมาญาณ
	Right Liberation สัมมรวิมุตติ

 

Right View replaces Wrong View and Right Resolve replaces Wrong Resolve. Wrong View and Wrong Resolve prevent us from developing Right Action, Speech and Livelihood. Therefore we can consider Right View and Right Resolve as Ethics in the realm of thinking. That we should first look at our thoughts at the very beginning of the path matches the well know Dhammapada verse which says “mind precedes all things, if the mind is corrupt then suffering will follow, just like the wheel follows the hoof of the buffalo.”

 

The Buddha often taught the Noble Path - “Ariya Magga”, mentioned above, but not many monks know about it, because they don’t read the Buddha’s words. The Buddha warned that in the future, his teaching will get lost because people don’t read his words. Buddhadaasa Bhikkhu saw this teaching of the Buddha too and he encouraged people to read the Buddha’s own words. King Asoka of India also promoted this warning from the Buddha by writing the name of the sutta on one of his stone pillars.

 

I have found the Buddha’s words in the suttas are much more wonderful than the words of any other monk or lay teacher. That is why I believe: “The Buddha is the unexcelled teacher of those looking for guidance.”

อะนุตตะโร ปุริสะทัมมะสาระถิ